The Little Things
by SweetAddixion
Summary: What happens when your first love comes back into your life with another woman? [JakeMiley]
1. The Clients

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hannah Montana, then I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. (goes out to all chapters) I just own the characters I made up  
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**I have a lot of things planned for this story. I know that it's not much yet, but it will get better as the story goes on! Please R&R and no flames. Constructive criticism is okay though.**

**Pairings: Miley/Jake, Jake/OC, Lilly/Oliver (extremely little)  
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**Chapter 1**

"Congratulations! Ms. Miley Stewart has done it once again. Watch out, everybody! She's on fire!" Miranda Laurenson licked her finger, touched my shoulder, and made a sound as if I was hot. I rolled my eyes at my co-worker and swatted her hand away. I secretly smiled and shook my head while I dusted the pictures hanging on my wall.

I took one of them down and smiled fondly at it. It was my favorite picture: Lilly, Oliver, and I on graduation day. It's been six years since I graduated, but it still feels as if it was only yesterday that I started high school.

Lilly and Oliver have been my best friends since seventh grade when I moved from Tennessee. Right now, they are on their honeymoon in Hawaii. If it weren't for me, then those two never would've admitted their feelings to each other. I've set up couples before, but that was when I realized that matchmaking was what I was made to do. Sure, I couldn't be the producer of the Bachelor, but being a wedding planner was the next best thing.

As for Hannah Montana, she's still my secret. Right now she's in the process of making her eighth album.

How do I do it?

Well, if I could handle being Hannah Montana and high school, then I can definitely manage being Hannah Montana and a wedding planner.

I put the picture back up and another picture caught my eye. It was a picture of Jake and I just before we left my house on our first date. Dad just _had_ to take a picture of his daughter before she went out with her first boyfriend. I smiled, remembering that I felt so embarrassed, but now I realized that my dad was just doing that because…well, that's what dads do.

Jake and I were on-and-off throughout high school. We broke up a week after graduation because we were going to different colleges. It wasn't my idea, but it was too unrealistic for two high schoolers to keep a long distance relationship during college. Still, that didn't mean that I wasn't bitter about it. I was going to Los Angeles and he was flying to New York to do more acting. I haven't seen him since then; except in tabloid magazines, which I stopped reading a long time ago because my stomach started doing somersaults every time I saw him and a rumored girlfriend.

I've moved on a long time ago. But the as the saying goes: you will never forget your first love.

"You know," Miranda paused and sat on the edge of the couch. I blinked a couple of times and shook my head, continuing to dust the pictures. "If anyone can do the job, it's you. I bet Magwood is going to give you a promotion this time. I mean, with all the hard work you have done…you deserve it!" She nudged and winked at me and I just laughed at her. My boss, Willa Magwood, is one of the toughest and meanest bosses I have ever had. I still do not understand how she ended up being the Vice President of Once in a Lifetime Weddings, with her attitude and all. My chances of being promoted are very slim. Even though I planned great weddings, she hates me for some unknown reason.

"Haha, yeah right!" I snorted as we walk to the office cafeteria. "As if _I'm_ getting a promotion. Besides, I've only planned a couple a weddings compared to you and everyone else. So-"

"-But all the weddings that you do have turned out perfect, Miley. People have been giving you referrals. Referrals, Miley!" She exclaimed excitedly. "In fact, you know the last wedding you did? You did such a great job, that Magwood _herself_ said that you are the best one here. That, and…well, I wasn't eavesdropping or anything…"

"You did not! You know how much trouble you'd get in if Magwood finds out that you're listening to her business?" I whispered; although, I'm kind of excited to hear what she had to say. I caught her eye and we both started laughing.

"What are you? In fifth grade?" She laughed and grabbed an apple. We sat down at our usual spot: the table next to the window overlooking the beach. Once we got settled into our seats, she leans over and looks around to see if it was "safe."

"I was on my way to my office thinking of _him_," she sighed dreamily and starts twirling her dark red long curls. Miranda has this weird obsession with this gorgeous guy she sees every morning at Starbucks. I rolled my eyes and took out my phone.

"Hello? 9-1-1? Yeah, my friend's mind is stuck up in outer space and it clearly needs to get back to her so that she can tell me what she heard."

"Ha ha ha. Very funny, Miley," she stuck out her tongue. How childish.

"Likewise, Millie. Now can you _please_ go back to the story?"

"Okay, okay. Well I had a lot of paper in my hands and I heard someone scream. All of it fell from my hands and I really didn't want to pick it up. I knew that I should've used a binder, but _nooo_…" Miranda started to mumble incoherently. I snap my fingers and she looks at me with a look on her face as if she didn't realize that I was sitting there the entire time.

"Well anyways, as I was picking everything up, some of them went under Magwood's door. When I was reaching out for them, I heard your name! Yeah, I know, right? So I just _had_ to hear why she was talking about you. So I kind of peeked in and saw that she was on the phone. She was telling the person a bunch of dates and blah blah blah. Apparently, they were trying to set up an appointment and all that…stuff. But get this Miley; from the look on Magwood's face, this person is _big_. Magwood's going to give _you_ the wedding, and it sounds as if it's going to be the wedding of the year!" Miranda and I grabbed each other's hands from across the table and squealed excitedly.

"Do you know who it is?" I asked.

"I thought you'd never ask. It's-"

"Stewart."

I let go of Miranda's hands and turned towards the voice.

Magwood.

We made eye contact and by the look on her face, I had to leave and follow her.

"I'll talk to you later, Millie." I smoothed out my black dress and ran a hand through my hair.

"Tell me all about it, okay?"

"Of course. Bye!" I stood up and walked to my boss. She was watching me the entire time, which made me feel uneasy. Once I got to her, she turned around and started to walk towards the direction of her office.

On our way there, people were staring at me. There are four reasons why people follow Magwood into her office: you're getting fired, you're getting a promotion, you are being assigned something big, or you have her Starbucks. Hopefully it's not the first one.

Once we got into her office, she sat down on her chair. I stood awkwardly at the door and we had a little staring contest. Soon she gave me a forced smile and motioned to the chair in front of her desk, silently telling me to sit down. I put my things on the right chair while I sat down on the left one.

"Ms. Stewart, a while ago, I got a phone call. It was no ordinary phone call, you see. This was from the personal assistant of _Shirley Brewart_."

_Shirley Brewart…her name sounds familiar._

"She is engaged, obviously. Ms. Brewart wants you to plan her wedding because she heard that you are the best in Malibu," Magwood clapped her hands together and sighed happily. I smiled at her, but inwardly groaned. This meant more money for her, more work for me to do, and more stress because this Brewart girl has a lot of expectations from me.

"The couple is going to arrive in a few minutes, so you better be in your office right now." Magwood smirked at me and waved goodbye. I nodded in thanks and once I got out the door, I ran towards my office. I sprayed air freshener, re-filled the candy bowl, tidied up my desk, took out a scrapbook of the weddings I planned before, and straightened the pictures hanging on the wall. Fifteen minutes later, I heard a loud voice from the hallway.

"…I assure you, she's the best planner we have."

I heard my boss say and smiled a little. I walked over to my desk and pretended to look at the scrapbook (with my back was facing the door). Someone knocked and went inside.

I turned my head to see Magwood and a really pretty woman, which I assumed was Shirley Brewart. She had long curly brown hair and brown-green eyes. She wore a plain yellow top, jeans, and the cute red stilettos.

"Ms. Brewart, this is Miley Stewart. Stewart, this is Ms. Shirley Brewart," Magwood chuckled. "Look! Your names rhyme!"

Ms. Brewart and I laughed awkwardly, just to make her feel better. After all, she _is_ the boss. Magwood sensed this, stopped laughing, and cleared her throat.

"It was great meeting you, Ms. Brewart," she smiled at the both of us then left hurriedly.

"Don't worry, she's not usually…like this," I joked, trying to get rid of the awkward silence.

"It's okay. So Ms. Stewart-"

"Call me Miley. Ms. Stewart seems so formal and business-like."

"And you can call me Shirley, not Ms. Brewart. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be Ms. Brewart anymore, right?"

"Right. If you don't mind me asking, where's your fiancé?" I asked, looking behind Shirley to see if anyone was going to pop out from behind the door.

"Oh, he's supposed to be on his way here right now. Malibu was where he grew up when he was younger, so he wanted to go around." She smiled at me. I looked at her with a surprised expression on my face.

"Oh, that's interesting. Malibu is such a great place to grow up. If you don't mind me asking, what's his name? I probably know him because I also grew up here."

"It's no problem. His name is-"

All of a sudden, someone slammed the door open. I looked at the door to find Miranda, who looked red as if she was running and breathing deeply. Apparently she didn't see Shirley because she ran towards me and grasped my sides.

"Oh. My. God. Miley. He's here!" She shook my sides excitedly and squealed. I took her hands off me and sighed in annoyance.

"Who's here?" I tapped my foot.

"You mean that you don't know yet?" She looked at me with wide eyes. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, which made me want to laugh; I didn't though because I was too annoyed with all of these interruptions.

"Excuse me," Shirley tapped Miranda's shoulder, which snapped her out of her trance. "If you're talking about my fiancé-"

"Are you serious? You're sooo lucky!" Miranda squealed again. I swear she's just like a little girl. "I can't believe you're getting married to-"

"Jake?" I whispered, staring at what I saw before me.

Standing in my office was Jake Ryan, who looked just as surprised as I was.

Well, now this was going to be interesting.


	2. Awkward?

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry if it's kind of slow right now. It will get better soon! I promise :)

I also changed the title from Stars on Earth to The Little Things.

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**Chapter 2**

Everything went black.

…Well, for Miranda, at least. I guess that she was one of those teenage girls who put up posters of Jake on the wall and joined contests to win a date with him.

What am I thinking?

Now is _no_ time to think about that kind of stuff!

I mean…the reason for her unconscious state is standing right in front of me. Our faces mirrored Miranda's earlier expression of a gaping fish, which would have earned us an A back in high school.

"Jakey!" I heard someone squeal behind me; I jumped and broke eye contact. I walked over to where Miranda was laying and I half-heartedly tried to wake her up. I looked over my shoulder and saw Shirley hugging Jake, who was still staring at me. I looked away quickly and took a few deep breaths.

I didn't know what to say. There are so many things that I wanted to tell him…Well, it's not as if it would matter what I told him. My mouth felt dry and I itched to get a drink of water. I didn't know what to think either. Should I be happy because I haven't seen him in such a long time? Should I be mad for the same reason? Should I be sad because…

Sweet nibblets.

He's engaged.

With that shocking realization, I wanted to faint and fall right next to Miranda. Being unconscious for a few minutes seems way better than having to face Jake's handsome face once again.

As if she knew that I was thinking about her, Miranda started to stir. I got up, walked to the sink, and wet a small towel with cold water. I walked back over to Miranda and started to dab her forehead with the damp towel. She slowly opened her eyes and she seemed confused at first. After realizing where she was, she smiled at me at me and gave a small laugh. I smiled back at her, helped her sit up and made her lie down on my couch.

After making a big deal about making her feel extra comfortable, I sighed and reluctantly walked over to Shirley and Jake. They were both talking in hushed tones, but their conversation ceased when I was right behind Shirley.

"Miley, this is my fiancé, Jake Ryan," she said it with an overdone loving tone, which irked me a little.

"Oh, I know who he is," I muttered to myself. I turned around and I was about to walk towards my chair when Shirley asked,

"Wait…do you two know each other?" Apparently, she heard what I said. I stopped and turned around.

"I guess you can say that."

"We went to school together," Jake spoke for the first time. My mouth went dry again and I bit my lip nervously. It's been a few years since I last heard Jake's voice. Now it's slightly deeper and more…mature sounding, if that made any sense.

"Oh, really?" Shirley raised her eyebrows. "Well, that's interesting! So were you guys were friends?"

"I guess you could say that we were…friends," Jake said and we both laughed nervously. We caught each other's eyes and I quickly looked down.

"So…let's get down to business, shall we?" I put on a fake smile and walked towards my desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake pull out a chair for Shirley. Shirley smiled at him, but then she frowned because Jake sat in the chair that she thought was for her. I coughed to cover up my laugh because laughing at what happened would have been extremely inappropriate. After muttering incoherently, Shirley sat down in the other seat next to him and smiled as if nothing happened.

I took out the folder with the information that they (or, at least, Shirley) filled out before meeting with me and skimmed through it. Apparently, Jake and Shirley both live in an apartment in New York. My eyes widened slightly at Shirley's occupation. Jake must seem to have a thing for actresses because, as my memory remembered correctly, he mainly dated actresses back then. With that thought, I guess I counted as an actress because half of my life is practically an act to live my life as normally as possible. Speaking of actresses…

_Shirley Brewart! I remember now._ I snapped my fingers. _In People magazine, there were rumors that she and Jake were dating. Obviously that wasn't true because he was dating me at the time. I remember that people at school always cornered me, asking me questions about our relationship, which was one of the many reasons why we kept on breaking up during high school. I can still remember them calling my name… Miley. Miley. Miley…_

"MILEY!"

"What?" I jumped. I blushed when I saw them staring at me like the way Daddy and I would look at Jackson when he said something smart. Before they could ask any questions, I smiled and pushed the scrapbook on my desk in front of them.

"Here are some of the weddings I helped plan."

Usually, I would ask the couple some questions about themselves and their relationship to get to know them a little better; but since they are both famous actors, I could just go on the Internet and, knowing Jake, find their entire story there.

The Internet: the answer to many…uncomfortable questions.

Besides Google-ing them up, I personally don't want to know how they met, about their first date, their first kiss… If I were anyone except Miley Stewart, I would shriek like a fan girl and bombard the couple with questions and demand for details.

While they were looking through the scrapbook, I told them some information about planning weddings.

"Planning weddings requires the participation and patience of both the couple and the planner. There are numerous decisions that have to be made in a couple of weeks; kind of like a deadline.

"You have to think of the kind of flowers you want when you walk down the aisle, at the wedding itself, and at the reception hall. I have a friend who owns an _amazing_ flower shop just a few blocks from here. She gives me a discount because I helped her back in high school when people were making fun of her because she practically wanted to save the world." I saw Jake smile slightly. Sarah was a strange girl, but her heart was as big as Daddy's anger when his hair frizzes.

"My favorite part is deciding what kind of cake you want and _how many_. Usually, my clients go for a big single cake. If you ask me, I would go for a medium-sized cake with different types of smaller cakes around it. It gives people variety and it won't be hard to stick the leftovers into your refrigerator. You have three options: you can order from our offices downstairs on what kind of cake you want. Frances is a great decorator, but his cakes are kind of tasteless. Another option: you can order or make your own cake at this nice little place just down the street called Cake Me. I personally think that their cakes are _the best_ in the world. Usually the only couples that make their own cakes over there are under a lot of pressure and they do it for fun. The third option is to disregard the first two and find a cake somewhere else.

"As for the dresses and tuxes, I understand if you want to go back to New York and pick them out for yourself or maybe you want to wear the dress that your mother wore when she got married. If you do not plan on doing either of those, Miranda---" I pointed to the girl behind them, who was staring at the picture of Jake and I with an odd expression on her face "---knows where to get the best dresses and tuxes. She also knows where to buy/rent the best jewelry; she has connections with make-up artists; her father owns a little trendy shoe store, etc.

"Besides all of those things, you have to think about the place where you want the wedding to be held at and where you want the reception to be. There's also the invitations, the rehearsal dinner, music, food…pretty much, there's a lot to be done. While all of this information is overwhelming, I assure you, it's going to be fun. Besides, the actual marriage itself is more important than the little details. We are just here to make sure those little details are worth remembering," I concluded, forcing a smile while I said those last two sentences.

"Wow, that does seem like a lot to do," Shirley said.

_No, really?_

"But we'll be able to do it, right, Jakey?" I saw her put her hand on his knee and squeeze it. Jake just smiled back at her…even though it looked as if he didn't hear what she said.

"Well, I agree with everything you suggested. You really sound as if you know what you're doing." I smiled at her.

How else am I supposed to sound? Like Uncle Earl when he tries to convince Aunt Dolly that he didn't eat the whole pie?

"Thank you. If you need some time to think about it, we can set up another appointment together to talk about this in further detail in what _you _want. I just help make sure everything happens and is in place. I understand that if any time you feel as if you are under too much pressure, just think that in the end, everything will be perfect. I also understand that if you are, in any way, unhappy with me and feel that I am not good enough for handling this, then you can always---"

"You are perfect," Jake said suddenly. I looked at Jake, who was staring at me with an odd expression on his face. Shirley looked back and forth between the two of us.

"…For being our wedding planner," Jake finished just as Shirley was about to say something. I blushed, looked down, and played with the material on my dress. Even though I wasn't looking at them, I could see that Shirley was giving a We'll-Talk-About-This-Later look. I cleared my throat and talked to them as if what he said did not disturb me at all.

"I would love to sit down and talk more, but I need to start on some of the paperwork and making some phone calls. Mandy, the secretary at the front desk, will help you schedule our next appointment." I stood up from my chair with a smile on my face and put out my hand. "It was nice meeting you, Shirley, and you again, Jake."

Shirley and I shook hands. When I shook my hand with Jake's, I shivered and quickly drew my hand back as if it was on fire.

"It was great seeing you again, Miley," he said with a genuine smile. Right after he said that, someone's phone went off.

_I can't explain this feeling_

_I think about it everyday_

_And even though we've moved on_

_It gets so hard to walk away…_

"Ah! I found it! I'm sorry about this. I'm looking forward to our next meeting," Shirley said hurriedly. With a quick wave, she went out the door and started talking to the other person on her phone. I waved back and I was about to walk towards my desk when someone's hand was on my elbow.

"Miley, I'm serious. It really is great seeing you again. Seeing a familiar face after all of these years, it's just…great," he finished lamely. I laughed and I smiled at him.

"I agree. It's kind of weird seeing you after all of these years. I mean, the last time I talked to you, we left for college. Now, you're in my office asking me to plan your wedding!" I didn't mean to, but I kind of shouted the last part. Thankfully, he didn't notice because, instead, he laughed.

"Yeah, I know, right? You know, if you have the time, maybe we can hang out and catch up with what has been going on with our lives," he said and I stopped smiling.

"But aren't you enga---"

"I mean as friends. Lilly and Oliver can come too because I haven't seen them in a while either. How are they?"

I frowned and grew slightly angry. I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow.

He really doesn't know what's been happening to us…well it's his fault that he didn't take the time to try to call or e-mail us.

"They are in Hawaii right now and they'll be back a week from Friday."

"Wow! That's a long time from now. What are they doing in Hawaii?"

"Well they are---"

"Jakey!" Shirley interrupted me. We both turned towards the door and looked at her. "Your parents are waiting for us at your house. They called after I was finished talking to our agent. They were wondering where we were and we were supposed to meet them half an hour ago." She crossed her arms impatiently. Jake turned to me and apologized.

"I'll call you, okay? Tell Lilly and Oliver I said hi, if you get the chance to talk to them." He patted my shoulder and left with Shirley, who, I overheard, told him that they were going to talk later.

"I'll call you, okay? Tell Lilly and Oliver I said hi, if you get the chance to talk to them," I mocked him and laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right. You said you'd call last time, and you show up with your fiancée. What now, you show up saying that you joined the circus like Aunt Becky?"

"Uhm, Miley?" I turned around and put my hand on my chest.

"Gee, Millie. You scared me! I'm sorry, I completely forgot you were there."

"It's okay. What's not okay, though, is this Jake Ryan guy," she said as she walked in circles around me. "You didn't squeal when you found out, like you usually do when you meet famous people. There's such a thing as being star-struck, but you weren't that either. You were also nervous, which is very rare for you to be." She counted off with her fingers. I didn't know what to say, so I kept my mouth shut.

"I know why! Miley Stewart, why didn't you tell me that you knew him? I should have known…I mean, your pictures! Why didn't I look at them before? Magazines…why wasn't your name _ever_ in there? I mean, you two must have been close if you were _nervous_. He was also spacey and quiet, as if he was in his own little world. If you ask me, I thought that he would be the kind of guy who's arrogant and cocky."

I snorted at the last comment, but I kept my mouth shut. I rolled my eyes while Miranda started listing all of the possibilities on how we knew each other.

"---you two could've been an extra in one of his---" I held up a hand to tell her to stop talking.

"Jake Ryan and I used to date in high school. We were an on-and-off couple because I wanted to be Jake's girlfriend, not Jake Ryan's girlfriend." I said and Miranda's mouth dropped.

For the rest of the day, Miranda brought her paperwork in my office and worked on the couch. She was surprisingly quiet, which was unusual, considering it was Miranda. The only time she would talk is when she would make phone calls to clients and other people. Knowing Miranda, the silence won't last. Only God knows what she will ask about Jake and I when she opens her mouth.


	3. In 'N' Out

**Author's Note:** Enjoy! Thanks for the positive feedback!

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**Chapter 3**

Curse my job.

Curse the stupid company handbook.

Curse the fact that I have to take out the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Ryan out to dinner (the first thought alone made me want to throw up last night's dinner…even though I _totally_ am over him) tonight. Apparently, after the other day's meeting, Magwood was eavesdropping the entire time _they_ were there. It's a good thing that she caught up with them and arranged for dinner tonight. If she didn't catch up with them, then she would have heard what I told Miranda.

"Remember, Stewart," I mocked her and made faces. "On page 23 in the fourth paragraph? For new clients, take out the engaged couple for dinner at a nice 5-star restaurant to ensure the couple that they made the correct decision to choose Once in a Lifetime Weddings. Also, no more discounts, Stewart. Remember: business equals to money and money equals my Hawaiian cruise. 

"Geez, like any one would want to see _that_ in a two-piece," I muttered.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. It's bad enough that I have to plan their wedding; soon I'm going to be responsible for people's eyesight.

Shaking my head of those nasty thoughts, I thought about my other problems: where we are going to eat and what we are going to talk about.

Ha, I can just imagine it now.

_So, Jake, how did you and Shirley meet? Isn't it kind of coincidental that our names are almost exactly alike? Heck, she can be Shirley Stewart and no one will know the difference! Did you know that there were rumors about Shirley and Jesse McCartney a couple of months ago?_

No. No! NO!

I sighed again and put my head on the table. There must be at least some loophole out of this whole dinner thing. Magwood would fire me if I acted obnoxious like at the movie premiere Jake took me to. I can't delay or cancel it either because I heard that they cleared their entire evening out for this. Pretending as if I didn't know that it was tonight is out of the question because Magwood and Miranda keep on reminding me about it---both in different tones and attitudes.

"I'm sorry if I'm worried about your head, but I personally like it un-bruised."

I looked up from my desk and clutched my head. I didn't realize that I was banging my head against it when I was thinking about the useless unhelpful possibilities.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Why? It's not my fault. Tell me, what's wrong?" Miranda asked and she gave me some ice cream she took from my mini-fridge. I took it gratefully and put some of the deliciousness in my mouth.

"Ah, Ben and Jerry. The two men in my life that never let me down." Miranda gave me a look.

"I don't want to go tonight," I whined. I knew I sounded like a five year old, but who cared?

"Miley, you have to go tonight."

"I know."

"It's your job at stake!"

"I know."

"Aren't you over him?"

"I know…I mean, yes. It's just…weird and awkward."

"Come on, Miley. It is just dinner for two, maybe three, hours. Who knows, maybe you'll actually enjoy yourself? Just go somewhere cool, yet casual," Miranda suggested, stroking her chin as if she was thinking.

"Cool, casual, and 5-star, remember? Magwood wants a fancy shmancy, formal restaurant where salt is even charged!" I said sarcastically.

"No, she never said that, silly," she laughed and I rolled my eyes. "Why not, I don't know…In-N-Out?"

I laughed. "In-N-Out? Are you out of your mind? Magwood---"

"---said 5-star, remember? I give it 5-stars in everything. Plus, it's cool and casual. Come on, Miley. It's not as if she's going to be there! The whole point is to 'make sure that they made the right decision' and what's a better way to do it then at everyone's favorite burger joint?"

"But---"

"She never said fancy and formal, now did she? She just said 'nice' and 'five.'" She smirked at me and I stared at her. Maybe Jake and Shirley will think that I am cheap for bringing them to a regular fast food restaurant. Maybe they think that they would rather spend their money by hiring a wedding planner from another company that can actually take them to a real restaurant. I won't get fired from the company; I'm going to be fired from planning this wedding! There is no way that I'm getting into any trouble for this either. Technically I am taking them out to dinner and paying. I am taking them to a nice 5-star restaurant (in Miranda's opinion, not the critics, but that can be overlooked).

"Miranda…you are a genius!" I squealed and threw the empty ice cream carton into the trashcan.

"I know. I've been told."

0123456789

After Miranda told me her marvelous plan, I called Shirley. I always ended up leaving her voicemails though. Afraid that she wouldn't get the message, I reluctantly called Jake. He picked up after the second ring and I told him to dress casually. After he said okay, I hung up. I know, it was rude, but I was going to talk to him tonight anyway.

When it reached five, I left the office and went home. I took a shower and went on the Internet to check to see if the Black Labrador was still available for adoption. I have wanted a dog since I was a little girl. Daddy always said no because he said that we were too busy to have a dog. Even though I'm busy almost all the time, I feel lonely when I'm by myself in my apartment. Besides, a little extra responsibility can't hurt anyone.

After making sure that it was still available, I changed into a pair of jeans and a cute red baby doll top. I wore a red headband and had simple make-up on. I brushed my teeth and threw my dirty clothes into the hamper. I sat down on my couch and watched some TV to pass the time.

When the clock read 6:50, I turned off the TV and left my apartment. I drove to the office and waited for Jake and Shirley to arrive. When they came, Shirley was wearing a knee-length summer dress and Jake was wearing a purple collared shirt and jeans. After exchanging hellos, we went in my car and I drove to In-N-Out.

"In-N-Out?" Shirley asked. Obviously she was unimpressed. Inside, I was rejoicing slightly.

"I know, but this is---"

"Awesome!" Jake interrupted me. My mouth dropped open and the hope that I had of being fired from the wedding sank like the Titanic. I snuck a quick glance at him and I pursed my lips in annoyance. I looked at the rear view mirror and saw that Shirley wore the same expression I had.

"I haven't been here in years! Remember when we used to go here after school, Miley? We would always sit on those little stool things by the window and wave at the people who go through the drive-through." Jake laughed and I smiled, despite my mood. Even though Jake was not used to the whole "normal" thing back when we first started dating, he eventually got used to it and learned how to be patient when waiting for our order.

I parked my car, but I didn't get out right away. I was going through their folder, just to double-check if I had everything. Meanwhile, Jake got out first and opened Shirley's door. Shirley smiled, took his hand, and got out. She was about to grab a hold of his arm, but once he saw that she was out, he quickly went to my side and opened the door for me. I didn't grab his hand, but I thanked him and we walked inside. After taking our orders, we sat on one of the tables in silence. We would've sat by the window, but it would have been hard to talk to the both of them, much to Jake's disappointment.

Once we got our food, we started talking about ourselves. I kept on chewing with my mouth open and taking bites that make food hang out of my mouth. Shirley kept on giving me disapproving looks and I pretended as if I didn't catch on to what she was trying to say. I smiled at her, revealing my ketchup-stained teeth and she grimaced. She was grossed out by my behavior and by the food. I'm guessing that she isn't really used to fast food. She most likely eats at fancier restaurants because the fast lane is probably the only lane she is used to.

The funny thing is, is that Jake didn't notice any of the obnoxious things I have been doing; he was eating that hamburger as if his life depended on it. He just nods and continues to eat every time someone said something. Our hands touched once as we were reaching for the fries and we made eye contact. It was extremely awkward, especially since Shirley was there. I retracted my hand right away and made an excuse to re-fill my soda. I put ice on my hands and fiddled around with it until it melted.

When I got back, we had a nice talk about what we did after high school. That was when I was actually starting to enjoy myself. I stopped acting rude and obnoxious---not that Shirley would have noticed the change. Sooner or later, we were laughing at a joke that Jake said.

"Oh, Jakey, you are so funny," Shirley flirted. She grabbed a fry and put it in Jake's mouth. This action made me think back when Jake and Holly were "dating." I suddenly had the urge to grab that fry and shove it up Shirley's…

"Ask me next time you want to put a fry in my mouth because I'm full," Jake said and patted his stomach. He put his arm around Shirley, who leaned her head on his shoulder. I looked away and the smile that was on my face twitched a little.

"So, Miley. You're a pretty girl. Do you have a boyfriend?" Shirley asked out of nowhere. Jake's and my head turned so fast that it almost cracked. Jake was looking at me with an odd expression on his face. I looked in both of their eyes and sighed.

"No, none at the moment. I'm too busy for that kind of thing." Jake's eyes softened a little bit for some strange reason.

_No, Miley. He's going to get married, remember?_

That last thought made me want to throw up…this time it was tonight's dinner.

"Oh, really?" Shirley raised her eyebrows. "I thought that since you are in the love business, you would at least be serious with someone by now. Although I'm not surprised because all you see are engaged men anyways," she said. I think that she was trying to comfort me, but it came out weird. I bit my lip and fiddled with my fingers.

"Well, have you ever been serious with someone?" she asked.

Wow. Talk about personal space.

"Yes, but it was a long time ago. His name was Leslie," I said, while looking at Jake in the eye. To my shock, his eyes widened and he took his arm off of Shirley. He cleared his throat loudly and I looked at him, confused.

"Leslie? That's a funny name for a boy," Shirley laughed and covered her mouth.

"Oh! Will you look at the time? We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, Shirley," Jake said quickly.

"What are you talking about, honey? We have absolutely nothing planned tomorrow," Shirley asked.

"Well, it's late. I'm tired. I want to go back to the hotel," Jake insisted. He took the trays and threw the contents into the trash bin. We got into my car and there was an awkward silence the entire drive.

I did not know how to feel about this. Should I be happy that I know something about Jake that Shirley doesn't? Should I be confused as to why he didn't tell her his biggest secret? They are getting married so shouldn't they trust each other and know everything about each other? Should I be angry that she laughed at the fact that my first serious boyfriend's real name was Leslie? I mean…you shouldn't judge a person by their name! Besides, she was unintentionally making fun of Jake. What makes everything even more frustrating is that I don't think that I'm going to get fired from doing the wedding because nothing worth-getting-fired-for thing happened. This was all too confusing and I was taking it out by pressing the breaks a little too hard.

When we got to the office building, they thanked me and we said our goodbyes. When I got home, it was a quarter till ten. I changed into my pajamas and lay down on my bed. I turned on the television and the last thing I heard before I fell asleep was "Dude, I slayed you once, don't make me slay you again."

_Good. I don't want you to._

* * *

**Author's Note: ** If you didn't understand the last part, just think of it in relationship terms. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's like there's a hidden meaning.

I'm going to be posting up a one-shot soon, so be on the look out for that!


	4. November 17

** Author's Note:** I am quite proud of this chapter because I made the second half of it up on the spot. This is the longest chapter so far with about 3700+ words

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_"Miley." Jake grabbed my hand and my gaze tore away from the certificate saying that there was a star named after me. I looked into his green eyes, which made my heart skip a beat._

"_I've never so close to anyone before and I don't want there to be any secrets between us, so I'm going to tell you something I have never told anyone before," Jake said seriously. He turned away and took several deep breaths._

"_Please don't have a hairy back, _please_ don't have a hairy back," I whispered hopefully. Even if he does have a hairy back, my feelings for him won't change in the slightest. Besides, it won't really matter because I'm going to bring him to one of those beauty parlors and ask for a back wax for him. Jake turned towards me and I smiled innocently._

"_My real name is Leslie."_

_I stared at him and then started laughing. That's one of the things I loved about Jake---he always found ways to make me laugh._

"_Leslie, right. That's good," I managed to say while I was laughing. "Seriously, what's the secret?" I turned towards Jake and I saw that he wasn't laughing._

_"__That is the secret."_

_I stopped laughing._

I woke up with a start when something on me started vibrating. I panicked for a few seconds, not fully comprehending where I was. I blinked a couple of times and I realized that I was in my living room. I must have slept on the couch last night the moment I got home because I was still in the clothes from the night before.

I took out my cellphone from my pocket and answered it. I didn't even bother checking who was calling this late at night.

"Miley! _Where are you_?" Miranda yelled through the phone. I put the phone away from my ear for a second and then I put it back against my ear. "I have great news to tell you, and how am I supposed to tell you if you aren't here?"

"Sweet niblets. Why are you calling so late?" I snapped at her and yawned.

"The question is why are _you_ so late?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. I looked around and the room was still dark.

"Miley, it is 10:30! You were supposed to be here an hour and a half ago," she shrieked.

"What?!" I exclaimed. I got up and drew back the curtains. I shielded my eyes from the bright sunlight and gasped. I was late! I have only been late a couple of times before, but I had a good excuse then.

"Sweet niblets. Uh, did Magwood notice?" I asked and put the phone on speaker. Magwood liked to check on people constantly if they are doing their jobs. I ran to my closet and quickly picked what to wear.

"No." Miranda sighed and I put on a white-collared work shirt and a black jacket. "Leslie said that she left for a meeting in San Francisco and that she won't be back until tomorrow."

"Leslie?" I paused for a second and then put on my skirt.

"Leslie? Who's Leslie?"

"Didn't you say 'Leslie said'---"

"Miley, I said Janice," Miranda said slowly.

"Oh." I shook my head and told Miranda that I'd meet her in fifteen minutes. After washing my face, brushing my teeth, and put on some mascara, I got my keys and ran out the door.

Half an hour later, I unlocked the door to my office and collapsed on the couch.

"Where have you been? You know how worried sick I was? I thought that something awful happened to you!" I turned my head and saw Miranda at the door with her arms crossed. She was glaring at me and tapping her foot.

"Sorry," I muttered. "Busy night and ran out of gas."

"Oh, it's okay," she said and her facial expression softened. She walked towards me and sat on the armchair to the right.

"It's a good thing Magwood isn't here or else you'll be in big trouble. Well, anyways, that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about." I looked at her and raised my eyebrow.

"You know how Drew was sent to Florida to coordinate Mikayla's wedding?" She asked and I nodded with a small frown on my face, remembering the witch. Drew Krushbane was one of the best wedding planners in our office. He is the main reason why we keep on getting more and more clients each day.

"And you know how he was working on the Bloom wedding, right?" She asked excitedly and I nodded again.

"Guess who's in charge now? You and me!" She screamed and started jumping up and down in her seat. I grabbed her shoulders and looked at her, shocked.

"Are you serious? Why didn't Magwood tell me? I'm already really busy with Jake's wedding, I can't possibly---"

"Actually, I was set in charge," she said, calming down a little from her excitement. "I just want you to help me because I haven't done a wedding _this_ big before. Drew already took care of everything except for the music and catering. All you need to do is to look for a D.J. and I can take care of the food. Will you _please_ help me? I already asked Magwood and she said that it was fine. Please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please?" She put her hands together, pouted, and did the puppy-eyed look. I gave her a look then giggled.

"Sure, Millie. Of course I'll help you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She said and hugged me. "Since Drew did most of the work, he gets fifty percent of the money; Magwood gets fifteen, I get twenty, and you get fifteen."

"Okay, no problem," I shrugged. I didn't care how much money I will be earning because I already had more than enough for my children's' children's' children's' college and retirement funds---thanks to Hannah. Miranda kissed my cheek and skipped out the door, closing it on the way. I sighed and went towards my desk to start on some paperwork. Right when I sat down, my office phone rang. I got the phone, held down Line 1, and put it against my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bud."

"Hey, Daddy!" I greeted enthusiastically. I haven't spoken to my dad since last week, which made me feel bad. I have been so caught up with work that I barely had any time to call him. My dad and I have a really special father-daughter relationship that surprises a lot of people. I really am a daddy's girl and Jackson always used to make fun of me for it.

"How's work?"

"It's…fine," I lied. "Is Jackson home?"

"No. I forgot to tell you that he left yesterday for Las Vegas with some friends. Hopefully he doesn't end up getting married because I'm going to make sure that they're getting a divorce quicker than you can say 'Cha-ching!'" We both laughed and I was thinking about telling Dad about Jake.

"Bud, I have to go. I just wanted to remind you that Hannah's doing a concert tomorrow night in Anaheim to help raise awareness for animal abuse. So you have to be here at home by three so that you can change into Hannah. Then we are going to leave for the concert at five and the concert itself starts at seven."

"Okay, Dad. Take care."

"Love you, Miles."

"Love you too. Bye!" I smiled and closed the phone. Right when I closed it, it rang again. I picked it up, held down Line 2, and answered it.

"Ms. Stewart, I just wanted to remind you that you have an appointment with Mr. Ryan and Ms. Brewart at 1, which is in half an hour."

"Okay, thanks, Mandy." I hung up and sighed. Soon, my stomach started to growl and I glared at it. I came in late, I didn't get any work done, and I skipped breakfast. I sighed again, grabbed my purse and walked to Taco Bell. When I was done eating, I walked back to the building and saw that Jake and Shirley were just getting out of their car. They saw me and waved, so I waved back at them.

"Hey! Since we are already out here, let's go over what we are going to do. We are going to look for the places where you want your reception, rehearsal dinner, and wedding to be held at. Do you have any places in mind?" I asked them.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, _we_ do!" Shirley said cheerfully. "There's this resort called Endless about two blocks away from our hotel. It has a beautiful garden with a small lake right next to it. We can do the priest-marriage stuff in the gazebo while everyone else sits behind us. Then for the reception place, we are going to hold it at the same place except it will be inside. And as for the rehearsal dinner, _we_ want it at his parents' house. It's big enough to fit everyone and I'm sure his parents won't mind."

I raised my eyebrow and smiled. "Wow! It seems as if _you_ have given this some thought."

Shirley smiled. "Well, maybe just a little bit." She giggled, grabbed Jake's hand, and started swinging it. I raised my eyebrow at him, silently questioning why she's in a very good mood. He just shrugged in response and put his other hand in his pocket.

"Well…that's great!" It came out more of like a question. "Let's get in my car and we'll drive to Endless and talk to them about it. Then we have to ask Dianna if we can use her house for the rehearsal dinner." They nodded their heads and I lead them to my car.

"I can't wait to see your parents again, Jake. I haven't seen them in forever," I told him honestly. Jake smiled at me and I returned it. Shirley saw this and her smile twitched. She grabbed his head with one hand and pulled his tie to her with her other. She smiled wickedly and kissed Jake long and hard. I pretended as if I was looking for my keys in my bag so that I wouldn't have to watch the swapping of spit between the two.

When they finally pulled apart, Jake asked, "What was that for?"

"It's because you look _so_ hot right now," Shirley purred and ran her hands through his hair. I gagged and started to cough loudly. I wasn't sure what was more uncomfortable: Jake and Shirley making out or the way Shirley talked to Jake. Jake heard me cough and quickly glanced in my direction. He took Shirley's hands out of his hair and kissed her cheek. Shirley giggled and laced her hand with his. I couldn't help but think that when she laughed, it seemed a little forced.

When we got into my car, I unlocked it and hopped into the driver's seat. We finally arrived at Endless, and I must say, it was beautiful. After you go through the French doors leading into their waiting room, you go down the hallway and out through another pair of French door and into the garden and lake, which was set like the beach: grass leading into the lake. There was a small walkway, which was outlined with colorful flowers. That was where Shirley was going to walk down and meet Jake in the gazebo.

After looking at the area in awe, we looked for the manager to schedule a reservation for the place. When we went into his office, the manager's eyes widened when he saw Jake and Shirley. He excitedly rushed over to them and shook their hands animatedly. We talked for a couple of minutes and explained that they wanted to hold their wedding here.

"I assure you, this is the perfect place to hold a wedding," Joe, the manager, said and Shirley smiled and took Jake's hand.

"I know. This _is_ the perfect place," she gushed and looked at the ceiling, which was painting of angels. Joe just smiled in response, looked at me and winked. I smiled back at him, even though I was cringing on the inside.

"So, what date would you like to prefer to hold this fine event?" Joe asked and took out an expensive-looking calendar.

"November 17," Shirley practically shouted and I had a small frown on my face. "It's the day Jake and I first met. You know, we met at Nick Jonas's 23rd birthday party in his backyard. I remember it like it was yesterday: he was sitting on the fountain with daisies in his hands looking at the stars. I introduced myself and we talked for a bit. Then he gave me the daisies and he asked me out," she sighed. I looked at Jake and he had an unreadable expression on his face.

I, on the other hand, was frowning deeply. I was biting my lip to keep myself from crying. The memories that took so many years to tuck away suddenly resurfaced after each word that Shirley said. A particular memory came to my mind, which happened nine years ago during my sophomore year of high school…

_Even though Jake broadcasted his love for me, I was still waiting for him to actually say those three little words to my face. As time flew by, we became closer than ever. Although our relationship was slowly progressing, I started to doubt if what he said on TV was true._

_What if he just said that because he was in the moment?_

_What if he doesn't see me as something more than a crush?_

_What if he's just staying with me because he doesn't want to hurt our friendship?_

_After shaking my head of these thoughts, I went upstairs and changed into a white tunic, jeans, and white sandals. I was meeting Jake at the beach tonight, which gave me the perfect opportunity to ask him where our relationship was going. After brushing my teeth and fixing my hair, I walked downstairs and told Jackson that I was going to the beach._

_"Okay. Have fun, be safe, and be home before 12," Jackson said from the couch. Usually, I wouldn't even bother telling Jackson about my dates, but Dad was on a three-day business trip in New York._

_I walked out the patio and went through a little gate that leads to the beach. When I got there, I saw Jake instantly because he was the only person on the beach. He was looking at the water, lost in thought, and the moonlight made his face glow, which made my heart skip a beat. I didn't feel like yelling, so I took off my sandals and walked towards him. He must have heard me because he turned and waved._

_"Hi," I said softly and gave him a hug._

_"Hi."_

_"So, was there something you wanted to tell me?" I asked, pulling out of the embrace. He didn't say anything; instead, he grabbed my hands and pulled me towards him again. We just stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying each other's presence. I wondered why he was so much in-need of a hug. Maybe something was bothering him…or worse, what if he was going to tell me that he was going away again to shoot another movie? I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away from me a little._

_"Jake, what's wrong?" I asked, looking into his deep green eyes._

_"Nothing's wrong," he smiled at me and I gave him a look._

_"Are you going away again?" I asked quietly._

_"I'm not going anywhere," he said. Jake grabbed my hand and we walked down the beach. It was cold so I pulled my hand from his and wrapped them around his waist. He must have sensed that I was cold because he took of his jacket and put it around me. I kissed his cheek in thanks and wrapped my arms around him again. It was times like these that I realized that I am so thankful that Jake is in my life…even though the burning question of his true feelings still remained in my head._

_I realized that he was leading me towards our special spot on the beach. We found it a couple of weeks ago during one of our dates. We reached the familiar dead end---a cliff. We climbed on the big rocks and went to the other side, which was a small sandy spot with a large rock in the middle of it with trees circling it in a U-shape._

_When we got there, I smiled at Jake and he kissed my forehead. On the rock, there was a large bouquet of white daisies---my favorite. I put the flowers to my face and smelled it, closing my eyes._

_"Miley?" I turned towards the trees and saw Jake smiling at me. I put the daisies back down and walked towards him._

_"Happy six-month anniversary," he said and walked behind me. His fingers gently touched my neck, which sent shivers down my spine. I felt something cool wrap around my neck and my eyes widened at the beautiful heart necklace. I turned around and tightly hugged him._

_"Thank you," I whispered in his ear. I already gave him his gift this morning at school: a small scrapbook of the things that we have been through together. Jake took my hands in his and pulled away. I gulped nervously and braced myself for what I was going to say next._

_"Jake, I have something to tell you."_

_"No, Miley," he said seriously and looked deeply into my eyes, which made my knees weak. "I have something to tell you and if I don't say it know, I am going to regret it._

_Miley, we have been together for six months; six amazing, wonderful, beautiful months. When I first met you three years ago, you were the one that stood out. You treated me like a normal person and I wasn't used to that. I had this weird feeling inside of me and I didn't know what it was. You made me curious, and I liked that. I liked you. I have never felt so rejected every time you turned me down. I thought that maybe if I dated other girls, I would get over my silly crush on you._

_"After we first kissed, I had another feeling inside of me and I didn't know what it was. I was sad that I had to leave you to do a movie; but at the same time, I was kind of happy because I didn't understand what that feeling was and it scared me. Like how it usually goes, when you're scared of something and you don't know what it is, you hate it. It's kind of like math._

_Anyways, when I came back and gave you that rose and chocolate on the beach, I was confused and hurt when you poured your drink on me. So, I didn't know what I hated more: that unknown feeling or feeling that you didn't like me anymore. I tried so hard to try to earn your respect and attention, but it didn't work out until you came to the Teen Gladiators premiere. When we kissed again, that unknown feeling came back and that's when I realized what it was."_

_Jake led me towards one of the trees and I gasped and felt tears come to my eyes._

_Engraved on the tree, it said:_

_November 17, 2007  
Leslie Ryan and Miley Stewart  
I Love You_

I blinked back tears and cleared my throat loudly.

"I-I'm sorry, but I have to g-go. I, uh, need to visit my m-mom," I stuttered, stood up, and started walking towards the exit.

"But what about our ride? How are we supposed to get back?" Shirley asked and I stopped walking.

"Here," I took my keys out of my bag and threw it behind me. I didn't have the courage to look at their faces, especially Jake's.

"I'll see you in three days," I said quietly and continued walking. Once I got out the door, I took off my heels and started running as fast as I could.

Anywhere.

It didn't matter.

If I escaped once, I could escape again, right?

What happened in the past should stay in the past. These little feelings for Jake are expected because he was my first love, and you never forget your first love. Plus, he's getting married, so these feelings need to be tucked away again like what I did so many years ago.

The next thing I knew, my side started to hurt. I slowed down and put my hands on my knees and looked down. I breathed heavily; I haven't run like that in a long time, so my body wasn't used to it.

I looked back up and saw a familiar place. I blinked my eyes when I thought of how far I ran. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and walked inside the cemetery. I walked towards the same tree that I have been going to ever since I was a little girl. I grabbed some of the flowers from a nearby bush and knelt on my mother's grave. I brushed my fingers against the cool granite plate and placed the flowers right next to the picture of her smiling face.

"Hi, Mom," I said quietly. I traced the letters of her name with my finger and I smiled. I couldn't help but think about the good times my mother and I had together. She was such a sweet, caring person. She would always think of others before herself, which made her so likeable. Sometimes I wish that she was here with me, but she is in a better place right now. She is my guardian angel and I thank God each and every day for blessing my life.

"I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you  
Sha la la la la  
I miss you."

I felt a hand rub my back comfortingly and emotion took over me. I turned around and cried in the arms of my father, who rocked me back and forth telling me that everything was going to be okay.

For the first time today, I felt that it was going to be.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I would have gone more into detail with what the place where the wedding was going to be, but it just didn't come out right when I typed it, so I'm sorry if it was a little bland. Oh, and expect a one-shot from me soon! I made a Jiley music video called "What is Love?" that I'm going to be posting on Youtube, so be sure to check that out.  



	5. Backstabbers

**Author's Note: **Had a little writer's block, but I'm satisfied with what I wrote.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Did y'all have fun tonight?"

The crowd went wild as they screamed and clapped, yelling for more. The smile on my face grew wider as they got louder chanting "Hannah! Hannah!" I waved at the crowd spastically and did a little happy dance, which made them laugh. I know that it was a little childish, but I am a kid at heart, so these kinds of things are not unusual for me---both as Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart. My heart pounded faster, my head grew dizzy with excitement, my stomach was doing flips, and I felt myself sweating through my wig. I loved this feeling because my fans let me know that what I have is special and that they love it as much as I do.

"Even though I'd love to sing to you guys all night, this last song is an old favorite of mine called Life's What You Make It." There was a mix of boos and cheers from the audience and I just laughed.

"One, two, three, and," the drummer yelled and the music started to play. I danced to the rhythm and ran around the stage at the same time, grabbing and shaking people's hands.

"Don't let no small frustration  
Ever bring you down (no, no, no, no)  
Just take a situation  
And turn it all around

With a new attitude, everything can change  
Make it how you want it to be  
Staying mad, why do that, give yourself a break  
Laugh about it and you'll see…(that)Life's what you make it  
So let's make it rock  
Life's what you make it  
So come on  
Everybody now

Why be sad, broken hearted  
There's so much to do (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)  
Life is hard or it's a party  
The choice is up to you

With a new attitude, everything can change  
Make it how ya want it to be  
Staying sad, why do that…give yourself a break  
I know you want to party with me…(cause)

Life's what you make it  
So let's make it rock  
Life's what you make it  
So come on  
Everybody now

Let's celebrate it  
Join in everyone  
You decide  
Cause life's what you make it

Things are lookin up  
Any time you want  
All ya got to do is realize that  
It's under your control  
So let the good times rock and roll

Hey

Life's what you make it  
So let's make it rock  
Life's what you make it  
So come on  
Everybody now

Let's celebrate it  
Join in everyone  
You decide  
Cause life's what you make it"

I posed and the crowd went even wilder than before.

"Thanks for letting me come out here and sing to y'all tonight. But you know what's even better than letting me sing out here for you guys tonight? Saving a life. When y'all leave, make sure to buy a concert souvenir because half of what you pay is going to go to numerous animal shelters and abuse awareness centers all over the world. Remember: animals are like friends---you love them for them, but you don't use them as an accessory. You know, it's been awesome singing for you guys! Last, but not least, the Jonas Brothers are going to perform after the break, and there's a super secret special surprise number at the end. Goodnight, everybody!" I waved and left the stage, breathing a sigh of relief. The animal abuse speech wore me out because I was all out of breath after singing five songs.

"That was fun," I said to no one in particular.

"Good job, Bud," Dad walked up to me and gave me a one-armed hug.

"Thanks, Daddy," I smiled and hugged him back.

"Why don't you go to your dressing room while I get you something to eat? You look as pale as your Grand Daddy's face when he first met Jackson," he looked at me worriedly. I laughed and shoved his arm off of me, hitting him playfully on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad. Food sounds really good right now. This whole wedding planner thing is really wearing me off. Even though I wouldn't miss this concert for _anything_, I kind of regret it because still I have work tomorrow. I have _a lot_ of things to do! I still have to call the cake people, find suitable catering choices, look for a good DJ---"

"Miley," Dad said in a low calm voice. His hand was on my shoulders and I just realized that I have been ranting and pacing around, causing some people to look at me strangely.

"What're y'all looking at?" I snapped at those people in my Tennessee accent, which I unconsciously use when I am angry. They just rolled their eyes and looked away.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. You left your planner right before you went onstage. It was opened and I wasn't sure what it was, so I read it. I made the calls and set up appointments for tomorrow, using the numbers on the side. I also called some DJs that we used to work with because they owe Robby Ray Montana a favor or two," he smiled at me and kissed my forehead.

"Seriously, Daddy? Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I screamed and hugged him tightly, which made him laugh.

"No problem, Bud. Now, you go into your dressing room while I get some food for you. Just to warn you, it might take me a while. You know them Jonas Brothers---they might attack me with their marshmallow guns again. But this time," Dad took out something from his jacket.

"I'm ready for them." He put the tip of the gun up to his mouth and blew it as if there was smoke coming out of it. I giggled, waved at him, and then set off to my dressing room. I shook my head and smiled to myself. You would think that after almost ten years, those boys would put away those guns and act like mature adults.

Once I got in the room, I breathed out a sigh of relief leaned against the door behind me. After a few minutes, I went up to the rack of clothes and thought of what I was going to wear for the super secret special surprise song. I already liked what I was wearing---a purple-sequined dress, white leggings, and purple flats---but I was sweating and it was disgusting. I chose a teal strapless shirt with white beads at the top, jeans, and teal slip-on shoes. I set the outfit aside and plopped on the couch lazily. Right when I closed my eyes, I heard someone knock the door. I groaned, got up, and checked myself in the mirror to see if my wig was on perfectly. I ran my fingers through my wig a bit and then opened the door with a smile on my face.

"Hannah, it's been a while." My smile twitched and I opened the door wider for the guests to go inside.

"Hey, Jake. It really has been a long time since we last talked. Why haven't you kept in touch?" I teased him playfully, but something inside of me wanted to know if he would really answer the question. As Miley, I can't ask that or else that will be just plain awkward. Even though I'm Hannah right now, it's not as awkward asking Jake as Miley for some strange reason.

I told Jake that I was Hannah Montana towards the end of our freshman year when he came back from Romania. He was shocked at first and didn't seem to understand, but he eventually got over it. Hannah was one of the reasons why we fought and broke up because he didn't want to admit his own mistakes and blamed it on me.

"Sorry, _Hannah_. I've been extremely busy. I really am sorry, though. I hope that we can start over," Jake looked at me apologetically. I knew that he was talking to me as Miley because I don't think that he'd say that to the real me in person. I guess that it must be more awkward talking to me as Miley than it is talking to me as Hannah---just like how I feel. I sighed and scratched the back of my head nervously.

Should I forgive him after all of these years? All that time that we spent together and he apologizes to me as Hannah?

I am so confused. I don't even understand my own thoughts.

"Jake, it won't be easy. I've tried calling you, but you never picked up. I've tried to get a hold of your agent, but he would always say that either he's too busy or you're too busy. Oh, well. What's in the past should stay in the past. _We_ would love to start over," I gave him a small smile. His eyes brightened slightly and smiled back, which made my stomach do flips again, but for a completely different unknown reason. I heard someone gasp from behind me and I turned around. I wanted to glare at the brunette, who was innocently smiling at me as if she wasn't going through my stuff, but I restrained myself. Jake walked up to the woman and put his hand on hers. His eyes caught mine and I saw laughter behind it, which made me want to laugh myself.

"Hannah, this is my fiancée, Shirley. Shirley, this is one of my best friends, Hannah." I shook her hand and put a fake smile on my face.

"I am _such_ a huge fan of your music, Hannah, that there are no words to describe my…fan-ness," Shirley laughed.

"Oh, really? Thanks! So, when's the big wedding?" I asked, playing along with it.

"Well _I_ want it to be on November 17. Jake doesn't want to it to be on that day for some reason, saying that Thursday is a bad day for a wedding and whatnot. That, and I guess that our stupid wedding planner has a problem with that day too because when I told her what day I wanted it, she got all space-y and ran out of the room," she laughed and I wasn't sure if I wanted to punch her or laugh to go along with it.

"I mean," Shirley went up to me, grabbed my shoulder, pulled me aside, and spoke in a low voice. "Our wedding planner is kind of a pain in the ass. You must know her because Jake said that you and him go _way_ back in Zombie High. Her name is Miley, Miley Stewart. Do you know her?"

"Oh, yeah…the girl with the very interesting name. I heard that she's really nice, funny, down-to-earth…" I said to defend myself.

"Nice to throw her off of a cliff, funny because she is uglier than me and who would like _that_, _and_ she should be down-in-Tennessee with the rest of her hillbilly friends. I mean, she and Jake have had a little 'thing' in the past; and from what I can see, she's still not over my Jakey after all of these years. I mean, Jake looked as if he wanted to put a restraining order on her the moment they saw each other in her office." I could tell that she was exaggerating that last part, but it didn't matter. I clenched and unclenched my fists with every word that came out of her filthy mouth. I had to bite my lip to restrain myself from tackling her to the ground and beating her up, making her wish that she was never born. If I did that, she would tell on me. My career as Hannah Montana would be officially over.

At the same time, I couldn't help but think and wonder about what she said? Am I really over him after all of these years? I basically didn't take the time to go out on dates or meet anyone new outside of my work. My thoughts were interrupted when Shirley laughed coldly.

"She's also really cheap. I mean, she brought Jake and I to In-N-Out. Talk about _lame_, don't you agree, Hannah?" Shirley asked and I was about to reply something inappropriate, but she just laughed. "I knew you would. When I asked her if she was ever serious with anyone, you know what she said? She said his name was Leslie. Leslie!" She started laughing again and I felt my anger rise. I want to slap her so badly and the consequences of me from doing that didn't sound so bad at the moment. Jake must have felt my anger because he stepped in between Shirley and I with an angry look on his face. My face softened a bit and I realized that he must have heard that Shirley was making fun of his name again, even though it was unintentional…yet again. Shirley didn't notice Jake and just kept on laughing. I stormed off to the couch angrily and reached out for my guitar.

"Shirley, can I talk to Hannah? Alone?" I heard Jake whisper to her while I tuned the guitar. She pouted pathetically and I wanted to laugh at her, but I didn't. Suddenly her phone rang. She looked at who was calling and she smiled. Then I saw her smile at Jake flirtatiously and she finally left the room skipping happily.

"I hate her  
I hate her smile  
And I will shed a tear  
If I don't punch her in the face  
Right now I want to hunt her down  
And scream and shout  
Beating her up won't be so bad  
When she cries and gets mad  
I hate her  
Ha ha ha ha ha  
I hate her!" I screamed furiously. Sure, I didn't like her when we first met because of unexplainable reasons, but after that she became somewhat tolerable. Now she's talking to me about me behind my back? Well, if she hates me so much, then she better hate me with every inch of her worthless fake body.

I felt a hand on my left shoulder and turned around so fast that I could have broken my neck. Jake was looking at me with a smile on his face, but his eyes were dark and downcast. I immediately turned red because I realized that he must have heard me sing/scream about his fiancée. I put my chin up defiantly as if that realization did not faze me at all.

"Look, I'm sorry, Miley," Jake sighed and took his hand off of my shoulder to run it through his hair. I just glared at him and raised my eyebrow. He wouldn't know the look I was giving him though because he is very interested in the guitar in my hands.

"I knew that she didn't like you after I told her about…us, but I didn't know that she'd be the type of person to say those kind of things about people," Jake sighed. We both knew that he was lying because Shirley Brewart is everyone's best friend and worst enemy. She's like Regina George in the movie Mean Girls.

"Listen, Miley." Jake took the guitar away from my hands and put his on my hands. I took my gaze away from our hands and into his eyes, which we surprisingly looking into my own blue eyes this time. I felt my mouth go dry and my breathing was hitched in my throat. All of my hate for Shirley magically vanished when Jake licked his lips and I unconsciously bit my own.

"I really meant what I said about starting over. I don't want things to be awkward between us just because we had something special back in high school and I know it's weird seeing you after all of these years. I apologize for not keeping in touch or even telling you that I was engaged. I…I don't know. Jake Ryan the TV/movie star is too busy to be Leslie Ryan the normal guy.

"In fact," Jake sighed and I realized that he was being completely honest and vulnerable right now. I haven't seen this side of him since our high school years, and the fact that he's sharing this kind of things with me made me want to reach out and kiss him.

_Miley Stewart, what are you thinking? _My mind screamed.

"It's been quite a while since I've actually been myself. I'm so caught up with all of this wedding stuff, and my parents, and-and you, and a whole bunch of other crazy unimportant things in my life." Jake smiled sheepishly at me.

_I have been on his mind?_

_No. No._

Probably it's because I'm stressing him out or, like he said, it's weird seeing me after all of these years.

"So, let's start over. Hi, I'm Jake…uh, Leslie…no, Jake…"

"I'm Hannah Montana, also know as Miley Stewart," I said, shaking his hand and laughing.

"I already told you one of my secrets, now how about you?" I teased him playfully.

"My name is Jake Ryan, but my real name is…Leslie," he breathed out and we both laughed. The laughter quickly faded away and there was silence. Jake was looking at me with a question in his eyes and I didn't know what to do. He furrowed his eyebrows together, as if he was confused. My breathing became short, quick breaths and I pulled my hand away from his. I bit my lip and he stared at my mouth, which made me blush and close my eyes. I felt something warm on my cheek and I leaned against it, savoring the feel and warmth. I opened my eyes to see Jake looking at me again with questions in his eyes.

Fuck everything.

I slowly leaned closer to him and closed my eyes, waiting and longing for our lips to reunite again. I felt him lean towards me and I grew more and more excited the closer he got.

"Jakey, I---" We pulled away just as our lips were about to touch. I quickly grabbed Jake's head and looked in his eye.

"Nope, nothing's in your contacts. There's no dirt. I think that the only reason why it hurts is because your eye is dry or something." I let go of Jake's head and turned towards the door. I smiled innocently at Shirley and got up to get Jake contact eye drops.

"Aw, poor baby. Are you okay?" Shirley walked towards Jake and sat on his lap. Jake smiled at her and muttered that he was fine.

Damn.

That boy is one great actor.

I, on the other hand, was breathing heavily once I left the couch. I was surprised that I managed to come up with an excuse like that and talk as if nothing major was happening.

Jake and I were about to kiss…and I wanted it to happen?

What.

The.

Hell.

"Here you go, Jake." I handed him the eye drops and Shirley was staring at me with an odd expression on her face. I quickly turned around and pretended to pick out my clothes from the rack.

"Hey, Bud. Here's your---Jake? Jake Ryan?" Dad went through the door and looked at Jake with a surprised expression in his face.

"What are you doing here, boy?" Dad asked, surprised.

"Hey, Mr. S…H," Jake said quickly. He shrugged Shirley off of him and got up to hug Dad.

"The last time I heard from you, you were off to college! Look at you now," Dad said with pride in his voice as if Jake was his own son. Jake gave Dad a small smile and they both started talking. Jake introduced Shirley to Dad, who smiled at her, but kept on looking at me. I just shrugged and pretended not to care and started reapplying my make-up and fixing my hair.

"Hannah in five," the speakerphone said. I went towards the changing room and changed into my second outfit. Once I finished changing, I found Jake and my dad looking at me.

"You look like a blooming flower in May, sweetheart," Dad said and I giggled and thanked him. He hugged me tightly and I patted his back awkwardly. Once he let go, he gave me a look and then left.

"Got to go. You know, big concert and animals." We both laughed nervously.

"You look great, Miley." Jake smiled at me and I blushed.

"Thanks…so…uh…hey, about a while ago---" I started.

"Don't worry about it. It was just one of those crazy unimportant things." I frowned, but quickly smiled at him.

"Yeah. Crazy…unimportant…things. See you later!" I hugged him, surprising both him and myself. He got over his shock and hesitantly hugged me back. It just felt so…good to be in his arms again.

I shook my head and let go of him, just in case something might happen again.

I waved at him goodbye, not before seeing him smile goofily at me.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter isn't very eventful, but I felt as if Hannah needs to make an appearance. If you didn't notice, I'm sorry if Jake is a little OOC in this story. Oh, and I planned everything out and there are going to be about 18 chapters. Please leave positive reviews! 


	6. Tony and Frances

**Author's Note:** Sorry for not updating in a while. School just started and they are giving us homework everyday. I'm surprised if I actually have the time to do stuff anyways.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Food.

Usually the word alone makes me happy. It gives me a strange feeling of comfort and satisfaction. I have quite an appetite, but I always work it off during Hannah concerts.

Expectedly, my stomach would always rumble every time I hear or think of the word.

Right now, my stomach isn't rumbling for the same comfort, satisfaction, and hunger that I usually feel.

In fact, it's quite the opposite.

Today, I am going to go to Cake Me to order the vanilla and chocolate cakes for the wedding. It's going to be shaped like a flower---a medium vanilla cake on the inside and the smaller chocolate cakes on the outside, which can pose as the petals. There are going to be chocolate-covered strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries on top. There is going to be a cute little fact on each of the cakes about Shirley and…Jake.

Jake.

_Jake._

Jake!

He's the reason why the rumbling in my stomach is…weird. The mere thought of him makes me turn red and have the urge to get a drink of water. I convinced myself that the only reason why I turn this way is because of stress…right?

I went into Cake Me and I stopped. I smiled and closed my eyes, breathing in the wonderful smell of cake, icing, chocolate, and all the other tasty junk that sounded so appealing.

I opened my eyes and gasped, "Tony!"

Tony turned around and smiled at me. "Miley! Miley, Miley, Miley, how are you, mademoiselle?" He walked towards me and kissed my hand. I giggled and hugged him.

"I'm great! How are you?"

"Absolutely magnific! If it wasn't for you, zen I would not be here," he smiled at me and I blushed.

"Aw, you're so sweet," I gushed.

"Well, that's not why I'm here. I need one medium chocolate cake and eight small vanilla cakes. I'm doing a flower-type thing here. Don't worry about the decorations---"

"---because you're sending them to your office, right? Ay, Frances. _Why_ can't you work for me?" He raised his fists in the air and looked up, cursing the air. I laughed and smacked his arm.

"Don't take it personally---"

"Take it personally? Of course not! In fact, me has to thank you zat Frances works for your…your…wedding company pish posh," he interrupted.

"Cake maker say what?" I pointed to myself and gave him a look.

"Well, for months you have been ordering me cakes and sending zem to Frances. I heard from other people zat he is quite ze decorator. Instead of making you go back and forth---"

"Hey, Tony, where do you want me to put this---hey, Miley!" I looked behind Tony and smiled. Frances was holding a tray of cinnamon rolls and he had flour on his nose and hair. I laughed and waved at him as he put the tray on the counter. We hugged and I laughed again as I saw Tony shake his head in his hands.

"Ay, Frances. You just _had_ to spoil ze story. You're fired!" Tony scolded Frances.

"Wait? What?" Frances looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Just kidding! Ay. You would think that Americans have a sense of humor." We all laughed.

"Thanks for making my job easier, you guys. I was actually thinking of asking you to apply to Cake Me," I told Frances.

"You know, since it would be easier for me," I teased. I swatted his arm and he chuckled.

"So why are you here, Miles?" Frances asked.

"Well, I have a big order for you and Tony today. It's a _huge_ wedding. In fact, it's the best and worst wedding I've ever planned," I sighed. Frances frowned, but Tony didn't seem to get the hint that I didn't really want to go into detail on who's wedding it was.

"Why is zat? Who's wedding is zis anyway? I'm always inzerested in the weddings you do, you know. No one plans ze good weddings like my favorite customer," Tony said and I blushed.

"Aw, thanks. Well, first of all, it's Jake Ryan and Shirley Brewart's wedding…"

"As in _the_ Jake Ryan from Zombie High from all those years ago?" Frances's eyes grew wide and Tony clapped his hands together.

"_Zat_ one? Dude, I slayed you once don't make me slay you again," Tony mimicked and Frances rolled his eyes in embarrassment.

"I loved zat show when I was a younger skinnier Tony. It came out in when I waz a senior in high school and people made fun of me 'cause I loved it so much! My favorite episode is when Hannah Montana guest starred in it," Tony said with a far-away look in his eyes.

"Tony's seen all of the Zombie High episodes," Frances whispered in my ear. "I had to drop off some stuff at his house and his daughter, Sheila, let me in. There is one whole wall dedicated to Zombie High and Sheila said that every two weeks he would dust the wall and end up having a Zombie High marathon. It's pretty creepy, actually."

I blinked at him and shuddered. Who knew that Jake Ryan had an obsessed fan like Oliver when he was smitten with Hannah Montana?

"Oh, really? Haven't seen it," I laughed nervously, referring to the Hannah Montana episode.

"Zat is crazy talk! It was one of ze most watched episodes of Zombie High. Well, what happened is zat after Zeronda, who is Hannah, kissed Demon Dog, Jake Ryan got mad and he ze stormed off and left Demon Dog, who followed him. Hannah got trapped inside za crystal ball when she was alone. Ze Prince of the Underworld tried to make her his queen, but she said no. Because she said no, ze Prince put her to sleep. She can only be awaken by Jake, so it was ze trap for him to rescue her. Jake leaves to rescue her and he kills ze Prince! Mamma mia, what a fighting zene zat was! When ze Prince died, Hannah woke up and told Jake that she was hypnotized and had to kiss Demon Dog to break ze duo up. Zen they kissed! It only took zem _forever_ to kiss…because we had to wait three weeks until the next episode came out…anyways, after they kissed, Zeronda started crying and said that since he kissed her, she had to leave because ze Prince put a spell on her. If she kissed anyone besides him, then she would have to spend ze rest of her life in the Underworld," Tony wiped a fake tear from his eye.

"Oh, how I loved zat episode!"

"Ha…ha…sounds interesting. I'll be sure to look out for it when it comes on TV," I lied, quite horribly, I admit.

"Anyways, why is this your worst wedding? The best part is obvious, but I still don't understand why it would be the worst," Frances asked.

"Well…in high school, we…kind of…had a…thing," I said slowly and quietly. Tony and Frances gasped.

"_You're_ the high school sweetheart of the infamous Jake Ryan? Wow! That's…crazy, that's what it is. I remembered seeing your face somewhere when I first met you. That must be _so_ weird, you know? Planning the wedding of your ex-boyfriend, whose fiancé is a bitch," Frances said in awe.

"Wait. How do you know?" I asked, ignoring his insensitivity.

"Miranda."

"Oh. Well, yeah she is a bitch, but I'm learning to go through it," I said and tried to put on a convincing smile.

"Well, how do you feel about all of this?" Tony asked and I stopped smiling.

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Tony said and raised his eyebrow.

"Honestly, I don't know." I sighed and leaned against the wall.

"It was weird and awkward at first when we first met. Then I tried to get used to the idea that he is engaged. Then I wasn't sure what I was feeling for him; whether I was happy for him that he is engaged or mad at him for not even telling me _anything_ that has happened in the past years. Sure the first week without contact was fine. The first month was acceptable because he was so busy. The next thing you know, it's been years! I don't even know why he's even having his wedding here in Malibu. I mean…if they are so rich, why can't they just have their wedding in Paris? They can buy their own fucking island for all I care. Why? Because I _don't _care! I don't care! I. Do. Not. Care!"

I opened my eyes to see Tony and Frances looking at me with pity and concern.

"Are you okay? You just kept on rambling about all of zat…zat zings. I did not even understand a word you said because you were talking so fast and with lots of…lots of…anger," Tony said and Frances nodded.

"Sorry." I smiled, embarrassed.

"I tend to do that when I think of putting food poisoning in my ex-lover's future wife's cake."

"It's okay, Miley. You're in a tough situation and everything's going to work out." Frances put his hand on my shoulder and then pulled me into a hug. I breathed in deeply and I smiled. He smelled really good---it must have been the cinnamon on his clothes.

"Well, I have to go and talk to the catering people. I'll call you on November 16 to remind you about the order, okay?" I hugged both of them and kissed them on the cheek.

"Thanks, you guys, for everything. We'll have dinner with Miranda at her house, okay? I have a meeting with the caterers in half an hour," I laughed and grimaced at the same time, which must have looked a little strange. I waved at them and they yelled their goodbyes.

_It's a good thing that Jake and Shirley are at his parents' house. The talk at Cake Me would have been _really_ uncomfortable if they were there._

I laughed randomly, which earned stares and whispers wondering if I was a psycho.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry, but this is kind of a filler chapter, so I won't be surprised if none of you are extremely WOWed by this one. The next chapter is going to be more eventful, I promise. Please review!  



	7. Complicated

**Author's Note: **I am very satisfied with this chapter. Longest one yet---twelve pages and almost 5000 words! By the way, this story is _waaay_ far from over.

Warning: this is rated T for a reason.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"So have you found a DJ yet?"

I turned around and shook my head at Miranda. She just shrugged and sat on my desk.

"I'm sorry. I thought that I was working," I said sarcastically and gave her a look. She just muttered an apology and lifted herself up a bit so that I could pull out the papers that she was sitting on.

"Seriously, Miley. The Bloom wedding is in _two weeks_. You should have at least contacted some people," Miranda sighed.

"I'm sorry, Millie. I'll do that after I finish organizing the Ryan wedding papers. Seriously, who ever thought that you would need this much paperwork just to book a night at the resort?" I held up about ten pieces of paper and shook them before putting them down.

"It's a good thing that I don't have that much work tonight though," I said happily, leaning back onto my chair.

"Well, that's Endless for you. Kim Mercedes from the eighth floor had a wedding there before. She asked me to come with her to help bring down the guests' giveaways and the whole car ride there, she kept on complaining about their strict rules about renting the place." Miranda rolled her eyes and laughed. I smiled and looked at her.

"Cute outfit, by the way," I fingered the hem of her sweater. She was wearing a green-cropped sweater layered over a plain yellow top. She wore dark gray skinny jeans tucked into knee-length black boots. Her dark red hair set back by a bright yellow headband. Magwood extended her San Francisco trip until tomorrow because her "grandmother was sick," so everyone dressed whatever they liked. I just wore a gray UCLA sweatshirt, ripped jeans, and jeweled flip-flops. My hair was down and straightened, but it was messy because I kept on running my hands through my hair.

"Thanks, you too…but you always look good. Ooh! Where did you get this?" She reached out and fingered the heart necklace around my neck. I looked at her hand and I didn't know what to say.

"It was given to me," I said simply and emotionless. I don't know why I chose to wear the necklace that Jake gave me all those years ago today. In fact, I don't even care where it came from and it's history.

Jake Ryan doesn't mean _anything_ to me anymore.

"By who?" Miranda asked and looked at her nails.

"No one special."

"Mhmm." Miranda raised her eyebrow, but she didn't say anything else. She knew that I didn't want to talk about it, but knowing her, she would find out in one way or another.

_Knock. Knock._

Miranda and I turned towards the door and we widened our eyes.

"Jake?" We both said in unison; except mine was in surprise and Miranda's was in a dreamy way.

"Hey," he said and went inside. Miranda got off of my desk and she smiled sweetly at him. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her behavior. Although I stopped smiling when Shirley walked through the door.

"…you. Talk to you later." She closed her phone and put it inside her bag. She smiled at Miranda and me, which Miranda returned.

"Hey, Miley. Miranda, right?" Shirley asked Miranda, who nodded.

"What are you two doing here? Not to be rude or anything, but we don't have an appointment today. Unless Mandy never told me…"

"No, no, no. We aren't here to talk about the wedding, as crazy as that sounds," Shirley laughed.

"There's a party at Jojo's house tonight. We were wondering if you wanted to go with us," Jake asked me.

_Hannah was invited to that. I told her that I wasn't going though because it was my cousin's birthday. I guess I could use the same excuse…_

Before I could reply, Miranda screamed.

"Yes! We would love to go!" She clapped her hands. Jake, Shirley, and I gave her a look.

"Miss Nosy say what?" I gave her another look and she just nodded at me.

"Um…sure, you can go too, Miranda," Jake said, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, Jake, Shirley. Miranda, you can go. I just have lots of things to do---"

"Come on, Miley," Miranda whined. "You rarely go out and Magwood isn't here to load you with more work. Besides, you said so yourself that you didn't have that much work tonight."

Crap.

I was trapped.

"That, and it is Jojo! You know…JOJO!" She grabbed my arm and started pulling on it.

"Fine, fine, fine. Just stop pulling me," I sighed and pulled my arm away from her grasp.

"Yes! Thanks, Miley." She hugged me tightly.

"Oh, and thanks for inviting us," Miranda said calmly and politely to Jake and Shirley. I blinked at her sudden change of attitude and wondered how on earth someone could change that fast.

"No problem. We'll pick you up in front of the building at around 7, okay?" Shirley said and we nodded.

"Okay. See you then." Shirley waved and walked out of the door, motioning for Jake to follow her.

"Yeah. See you later." Miranda and I waved. Jake walked towards the door, but then he stopped and looked at me. He looked confused for a moment, but then he smiled. His smile was one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it things though.

"Nice necklace," he said. My eyes widened and I unconsciously put my hand on where the necklace was.

"Thanks," I muttered, and then he waved and walked out the door, closing it.

_Five. Four. Three. Two. One._

"AHHH!!!" Miranda screamed and I covered my ears.

"We are going to Jojo's party! We are going to Jojo's party! We are going to Jojo's party!" Miranda skipped around my office and I laughed at her.

"Wow. You're really excited," I said sarcastically and sat down on my couch. She stopped jumping around and sat next to me.

"I am really, really excited," she said, her eyes sparkling.

"We might get to meet other stars!" She squealed.

"Yeah," I said.

"We get to breathe the same air as them!"

"Yeah."

"We get to party like a rockstar!"

"Yeah."

"Jake Ryan gave you that necklace!"

"Yeah…wait, no," I said quickly.

"I knew it," Miranda said in a song-sing voice and smugly crossed her arms.

"You tricked me. I just said yes to everything you were saying," I put a hand to my chest and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Miley. You can't lie to me."

"I know…" I resigned and ran my hand through my hair.

"So…are we still going to Jojo's tonight?" Miranda asked unsurely. I sighed, covered my ears and said yes. Her screams of happiness shook the room.

Miranda invited herself over to my house after work so that we could get ready for the party together. Miranda took a shower while I browsed through my clothes. When it was my turn to take a shower, she did the same thing. After my shower, I changed into sweats and we helped each other make final decisions on the outfits we selected. We put on make-up, styled our hair, and picked out shoes and jewelry.

"Wow, Miley. You look beautiful…as always," Miranda complimented me as we stood in front of my mirror. I blushed and said thank you, not before saying the same thing to Miranda as well.

I wore a red tube dress, which ended right above my knee, and black flats. I straightened my hair and curled it---to make it look more formal---and I pulled my bangs back. I wore soft pink eye shadow, black eyeliner, mascara, and lipgloss. To top everything off, I wore lots of bracelets and a pair of simple diamond earrings. Miranda wore a black halter dress, which was a little past her knees, and red heels. She waved her hair and put them into pigtails, tying small white bows around the elastic. She wore black eyeliner, mascara, and lipgloss. She was wearing a red necklace and white dangling earrings.

"I'm going to check my Myspace, okay? By the way, my friend saw your profile and he was wondering if he can meet you." Miranda walked over to my computer, which was on the coffee table in front of the couch, and opened up the Internet. I rolled my eyes and started putting back the clothes we threw around in my closet.

"Millie, you know that I'm not interested in dating. Besides, I'm too busy to date anyways," I strained my neck from my closet to tell her. I saw her giving me a look and she smirked.

"I know, I know…but you don't have to date him. Just because you are going on a date with someone, doesn't mean that you are actually dating, dating. Besides, I already know that there's another guy on your mind that requires all of your love and attention." Miranda exited the Internet and left the room. I just stared at her dumbfounded and after a few minutes, I followed her angrily.

How dare she!

"What are you talking about Miranda? If this is about Jake---"

"Who said I was talking about Jake?" Miranda interrupted smirked at me once more. I blushed and played with the hem of my dress. She caught me, but the thing is, I don't know what I was caught doing.

Why am I even blushing?

I _shouldn't _be humiliated over this.

I don't even know _why _I just had to say his stupid name!

"Who in the world are you talking about then?" I challenged her. I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. Just as I was about to take a drink, Miranda took the glass out of my hands and drank it. I glared at her and cleared my throat, which made her stop drinking. She seemed unfazed by my anger and impatience though, because she just put the glass back in my hand and leaned on her arms on the breakfast bar. She was looking at me with a twinkle in her eye, which made me feel uneasy for some strange reason.

"I was talking about that cute Black Labrador that I saw on your computer. When are you going to adopt him?" She asked curiously as I finished the water she didn't drink. I let out a sigh of relief and shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. I've wanted to adopt him for weeks, but I never have the time to go to the animal shelter and fill out the papers and everything," I said sadly and grabbed a pack of Sour Patch Kids.

"It's okay. Maybe now isn't the right time to get him. I'll tell you what, when Magwood is gone again, we'll go to the shelter and get him." Miranda smiled at me and I considered forgiving her for taking my water, but she grabbed the last red Sour Patch Kid and I huffed. I thanked and hugged her though, but I still felt a bit angry with her.

Jake and Shirley picked us up in front of the office building at 7:10. Jake was wearing a striped white-collared shirt underneath a black blazer and jeans. He looked casual, yet not too casual. When he got out of the car to greet us, it was as if it was when Jake was about to first kiss Hannah in an episode of Zombie High. Everything stopped and happened in slow motion as he was heading towards us. He eyes locked with mine and my breath hitched up in my throat. My tongue became dry and I wished that Miranda didn't drink up all of my water. My heart seemed to stop beating when he smiled toothily at me. I must have looked extremely pathetic when I smiled back at him though because I was too transfixed on him.

_Miley Stewart, are you even listening to yourself? You are _too transfixed _on him?_

That seemed to shut down these thoughts and I shook my head.

What am I thinking, really? He's obviously not interested in me because he's getting married for crying out loud! Why do I even care what he thinks? I'm only interested in his cooperation in helping me with his wedding, not stupid feelings and what not.

"Hey, Miranda. Miley," he nodded at the both of us.

"Hi, Jake," I said a little too breathlessly.

What.

The.

Hell.

Where were my thoughts a few seconds ago about these kinds of things?

"You both look great," he said, looking at me. I blushed and muttered thanks while Miranda giggled madly. When he turned around to lead us to his car, I gave Miranda a look telling her to keep her cool. She nodded at me and straightened her dress, thanking Jake for picking us up.

"No problem," Jake replied and he opened the door for Miranda and I.

"What a gentleman," Miranda said and I nudged her side.

"Don't compliment him too much. His ego is as big as Debbie from the first floor's appetite," I whispered in her ear and she giggled.

The next thing I knew, we were pulling up in front of a huge house with dozens of nice cars and limousines parked on the street. Miranda looked around in silent awe, while I just pretended to be amazed as well. Jake finally found an open spot and parked there. He quickly went to our side of the car and opened the door for us. We thanked him and got out of the car. Miranda linked arms with me and whispered ecstatically in my ear that she was extremely excited.

"No. Really?" I asked her sarcastically. She just slapped my arm repeatedly in response, gaping like a fish.

When we got to the entrance of the gate, there was a small red carpet that led to the French doors. Jake and Shirley led us through the gate and they stopped at the red carpet to take some pictures. Miranda and I let loose and took some ridiculous pictures for the cameras, which made the divas upset with us. After shooing us out, quite rudely, might I add, we stood behind the photographers and squealed excitedly every time we saw a celebrity that we actually liked pass by. I resisted going up to them casually because most of them were really close to Hannah. While Miranda was gushing over how Jesse McCartney will always be timeless to her, I glanced at Jake and Shirley.

In my junior year of high school, I found out that Jake had three smiles: the superstar smile, the boyish smile and the Smiley smile. The superstar smile is what he uses when he's at a premiere, a party, or at some other celebrity event. It's like a regular smile, except it's more forced and it kind of resembles a smirk. The boyish smile is what he uses when he tries to charm and impress people. You can see most of that smile during magazine photo shoots---I constantly made fun of him because a girl I was babysitting for wouldn't stop gushing over him. Then there was his Smiley smile; when his smile is so big and genuine, it will make you want to pinch his cheeks and tell him how cute he is as if you were talking to a four-year old.

Right now, he was doing his boyish smile with his right arm resting on Shirley's back. Shirley turned and posed cutely for the photographers, placing her arms around Jake's waist. The cameras were flashing away madly, which made him even more uncomfortable because his smile faltered a bit and went into superstar mode. He turned his head to the left and our eyes connected. I waved at him half-heartedly and he smiled and nodded in my direction. I turned back around and dragged Miranda inside, dying to get a drink of water.

I didn't feel like acting confused and star-struck at all of the fancy things. I already knew my way around the house, so I just went through the crowd as fast as I could and went to the bar area. Once I got my drink, I leaned my elbows against the bar and watched the crowd dance. Miranda put her purse down and ordered some alcoholic drink, which she downed quickly and asked for another.

"Whoa, there, Millie. Aren't you drinking those a little too fast? We barely got here, and here you are trying to get wasted already," I told her indifferently. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her shake her head and jump up and down a little. Some random guy asked her to dance, so she gave me her purse and was whisked away without another word. I sighed and tapped my fingers on the glass, already bored. I scanned my eyes through the crowd, recognizing some people that Hannah has acquainted with before.

Right when I was about to take out my phone to text Lilly, I felt someone lean on the bar to my right. I turned around to see Jake ordering a drink with Shirley nowhere to be found.

"So are you enjoying the party?" he asked casually and turned around, copying my position. I quickly glanced at him and turned my gaze back to the dancing crowd.

"It's okay. You?" We both took a sip of water.

"It's okay, I guess," was all he said. We bobbed our heads to the music in awkward silence.

"So…where's Shirley?" I asked, placing my empty glass on the bar.

"I don't know. She said that she had to talk to her agent, who is visiting for the week. Where's Miranda?" he said indifferently.

"With some guy."

This is probably the most interesting conversation I have ever had in my life.

"Do you want to dance?" Jake stepped in front of me and held out his hand. I raised my eyebrow and tried hard not to smile.

"Won't Shirley…? I mean, she won't mind? I mean…you and I---"

"Don't worry about it," he reassured me. "She's busy with her agent. I swear, they both talk business way too much."

I gave him a look and looked around, looking for any signs of Shirley and shrugged. I bit my lip, took his hand, and let him lead me towards the dance floor. We walked to the middle of the crowd and a new song came on.

"I love this song!" I yelled to Jake, who nodded his head.

He placed his hands on my hips and we started to sway to It's Going Down by Young Joc. I placed my hands on his' and danced with him. I felt myself let loose, shutting out the world and just concentrating on dancing. I placed my hands behind his neck, bringing him closer, and he dipped his head with his nose in my hair. We swayed our hips to the beat and it was getting harder to breathe because of the body warmth all around me. I smiled, even though the reason for doing so escaped me; we were just dancing (quite hotly, if I may add). I turned around and our foreheads touched, not distancing ourselves from one another. Quite frankly, he pulled me even closer than before and my arms were encircled loosely around his neck. We looked into each other's eyes and I bit my lip.

We haven't danced like this since we were in high school.

It was weird, thinking and realizing how much has changed between us.

We danced through a couple more songs until it transitioned into a slower one. We let go of each other and I was blushing furiously, refusing to look at him in the eye. We were both sweating due to our…dancing, if you could call it that, and because we were in the middle of the crowd. We just stood there awkwardly, not exactly knowing what to do. I figured that he didn't want to dance anymore so I turned around to leave. I felt a hand pull against mine and I turned back around.

"Dance with me?" Jake asked and I smiled at him, which he returned. I walked back over to him and placed my arms around his neck. I felt him slink his hands around my waist, pulling me closer, which made me feel warmer than before. I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed in content. Usually, only couples would do that, but I was tired. Jake pulled me even closer to him and I felt a little uncomfortable. My fingers buzzed with excitement and I bit my lip hard.

_Why am I feeling this way?_ I gulped.

"Miley," Jake said throatily and I pulled back, looking into his eyes.

"What's up?" I whispered.

"What do you think about this whole thing?" he asked quickly.

"What?"

"I mean…me, getting married. You…Shirley… I mean, Shirley and I getting married not you and me…I meant that you---"

"Jake," I laughed, stopping his babbling. He laughed too and let go of me for a second to scratch the back of his head---the spot where his arm once was felt colder when it left.

"Sorry. You know how I am when I'm…like this," he apologized and I giggled, swatting his arm lightly.

"You haven't changed, I see."

"No, not really. Just older, richer, and more famous, I suppose," he sighed sadly. "But you, Ms. Stewart have changed a lot since I last saw you. I mean…are you still…?" He made this weird hand gesture and then I realized what he was talking about.

"No. Not engaged, never married, no boyfriend."

"Oh. Why? Who would be so stupid to not go out with you?" he laughed and then his eyes widened, realizing what he just said. I blushed and turned the other way, staring at some random couple making out on the bar.

"Maybe Mr. Right hasn't come for me yet," I muttered, suddenly feeling hopeless and depressed.

"I'm sorry, Miley. But even though that really wasn't supposed to come out, I mean it…I really do." I tore my gaze away from the couple and looked into his eyes.

"Thanks…I guess," I said and grinned weakly.

"So…have you seen anyone after high school?" Jake asked and I shook my head.

"No. You were the last one," I laughed lightly and he frowned.

"Well, it's because I'm so busy and everything that I barely have time for all of this stuff. Ever since I started working, things have gotten more hectic, especially with Magwood as my boss. On top of all of that, there's still the annah-Hay ontana-May business, which makes me even busier. Thankfully her schedule isn't as hectic these days compared to the past years," I said quickly. He just nodded at me, but he still had a slight frown on his face. His eyes were glazed over and he seemed to be in his own little world.

Then there was a long awkward silence---only the sounds of the music blaring, people talking, and drinks being served were heard. I leaned in closer to Jake and rested my head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

_When you look me in the eyes  
And tell me that you love me  
Everything's all right  
When you're right here by my side  
When you look me in the eyes  
I catch a glimpse of heaven  
I find my paradise  
When you look me in the eyes_

"How did we break up exactly?" Jake burst out of nowhere. I bit my lip and closed my eyes, trying not to think too much about the question.

"We both agreed that it was over," I said emotionless.

"I mean…_why_ did we break up?"

_Why are _you _making this even more complicated for me?_ I wanted to scream at him.

"I don't know…or I don't remember, exactly," I lied.

"I think it was because we were going to separate colleges and we wanted to focus. Plus, the long-distance relationship wasn't going to work anyways," I added.

"Why? We've done it before. Remember when I went away for _months _in a different country and we still went strong?" he argued.

"What are you trying to say?" I stopped and pulled away slightly, my arms hanging loosely on his shoulders.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Jake shook his head and tried to start dancing again.

"No, Jake." I took his hands from my waist and led him out of the crowd and to the bar. We sat down and I asked the bartender to bring me a drink. He nodded and winked at me, but I just stared blankly at him. I turned my head to see Jake glaring at the bartender. I turned away when he caught me looking at him. The bartender returned with my drink, thanked him, and then shooed him away before he could strike up a conversation.

"It's _not _nothing. Why did you have to bring that up?" I sipped my drink and coughed as the liquid burned down my throat. I didn't specify what drink I wanted, so the bartender must have given me alcohol. I don't drink, but it seemed like the only thing I could do to have this conversation without looking at him in the eye.

"I don't know…I guess it was kind of an in-the-moment thing?" he said. We both sighed and I took larger sip from my drink.

"Jake, have you ever thought of what would have happened if we never broke up?" I burped and laughed. I looked at Jake, awaiting an answer. He smiled at me, so I stopped laughing and turned away. Grumbling, I took another drink, wondering what made me ask that question.

"Yeah. It was on my mind for an extremely long time…before and after we broke up." Jake decided to set aside his dislike for the bartender because he ordered a glass of water.

"Oh…" I finished the rest in one gulp and ordered another one.

"It's kind of funny, you know? Here we are, drinking---"

"Actually, you're the only one that's drinking here," Jake pointed out.

"---and talking about our relationship in the past!" I laughed loudly, which earned some stares from the people around us.

"You know what? I don't drink. I told you lots of things have changed." I poked his chest as if to say, "I told you so." I started to feel light-headed more relaxed. I knew I was probably making a fool of myself in front of Jake, but I didn't give a damn. I smiled goofily at him and finished my second drink. Deciding that one more couldn't hurt, I ordered another one. Besides, it's not like I'm going to get drunk because I know that I will never let myself get into that situation.

"Are you okay, Miley? You are downing those pretty fast," Jake said, concerned. I laughed and shook my head.

"I feel like a winner! I'm not going to get drunk, you silly goose." I tapped his nose and ran my hands through my hair, breathing deeply.

"Why are you here in Malibu anyways? And don't telllll me because you wanted to visit and shhhit because I KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT THE RRREAL REASON!" I said and Jake winced.

"Miley, are you sure you're okay?" He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder, which I flicked away.

"Okay? _Okay?_" I laughed and Jake winced again.

"Jaaake Rrryan coming back into Mmmiley Stewart'sss life with another womannn. Jaaake fucking Ryannn goes back to 'visssit' Malibu to see his parrrents or whatever. You had allllll the time to come back and you decided to come back now! Fiiive yearsss…five fucking yearrrs without evennn a single call, texxxt, or e-mail. The next thing I knew, you were walking into my officcce with that whorrre.

You don't know how harrrd it wasss to get overrr you. Evennn asssk Lilly and Oliver becaussse they helped me---evennn though they went to diffffferent colleges too. It probably took me…what, two-three yearsss? Right when I finally moved onnn with my life, I was happy onccce more. Now you are making me missserable again and I fucking hate it. Lilly and Oliverrr aren't here and I have no one to talk to besidesss Miranda. Where isss she anyways?" I turned around lazily and finished my first drink (at least, I thought it was my first drink).

"Miley…" Jake sighed sadly.

"Shhh…" I put my finger on his lips to shut him up.

"Shhhut up. My head hurtsss…and for onccce, you're not the rrreassson…well, it kind of is…" I got my purse and attempted to get off of the chair.

"Whoa…these lights are brrright, aren't they?" I laughed. When I got off of the chair, I my legs felt like jelly. I closed my eyes and waited to hit the floor. When I didn't feel myself wanting to scream in pain, I opened my eyes to see Jake holding my waist and pulling me up.

"Let go of me, Jake. Orrr else I'll have Roxxxy come and eat you." I tried to shove him off of me, but he just tightened his grip.

"I'll take you home, Miley. Obviously you can't even walk," Jake said stiffly.

"I'm fffine. Jussst let go of me, Jake. You did befffore, so you can do it now," I said sadly and looked into his eyes. His eyes were a mix of sadness and concern, which made me want to hug him.

The last thing I saw was Jake hovering over me with my throw-up on his jacket.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Please leave a nice review! I know I made grammar mistakes somewhere in here, so you see any, please point them out so that I can fix it. Thank you!

New one-shot: A Simple Question. I put it up a little over a week ago and I hope that you like it!


	8. The Day After Yesterday

**Author's Note: **This takes place the next day after the party.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

I woke up with the glare of the bright sunlight in my eyes. I put the blanket over my head to block it out. If there is one thing that everyone in the world knows about me, it's that I am _not_ a morning person.

It wouldn't have mattered whether or not I tried to get back to sleep because I suddenly felt nauseous. I lifted an arm and the blanket off of me and ran straight to the toilet. I held my hair up as I threw up my dinner. After a couple of minutes, I flushed the toilet and splashed cold water on my face. I wiped my hands on the towel and started brushing my teeth to get rid of the nastiness. I wiped my hands on my shirt and looked at myself fully in the mirror.

I gasped.

I had a shirt on.

Last night, I was wearing a dress!

I did a double take from myself to the mirror, wondering how in the world I ended up in these clothes.

I frantically thought of the numerous possibilities and questions that went through my mind.

How_ did I get home? _Who_ took me home? Was I seriously drunk? I can't believe I drank! I _do not _drink! I can't believe that I just did that. Did Miranda take me home? Or worse…did I end up sleeping with some random guy last night?_

My eyes widened.

Fuck.

I leaned over the toilet again and threw up at the thought.

I remember that there was an arm on me when I woke up this morning… 

More throwing up.

He was warm, though. Plus, he smelled really good… 

…What am I thinking?

Whoever it is…I am _so_ going to kill that person for abusing me while I was clearly unable to think for myself!

I brushed my teeth once more and splashed more water on my face before rushing out the bathroom door to give a nice, long threat about sexual harassment to the man.

"Whoever you are, you are so…" I trailed off. I saw Jake sitting up on my bed, looking quite embarrassed.

"Jake…?" I went over to the bed and sat down next to him.

"Did you… _Did we_…?" I awkwardly used hand motions, trying to describe to him what I thought and hoped that we didn't do. His eyes widened and I panicked for a second. I let out sigh of relief when he shook his head no.

"But did you take me home?" I asked softly and looked away.

"Yeah. You were drinking and we were…talking about stuff." He coughed loudly. "Then you got up to leave. I knew you were drunk, so I got up to help you, just in case something happened. The next thing I knew, you threw up and passed out. I asked Miranda where you lived and brought you home…I guess I ended up falling asleep when I sat down," he chuckled.

While he was laughing, my cheeks were turning redder and redder by the millisecond, comprehending all of the things that Jake did for me.

Jake brought me home, my haven, and _changed_ my clothes.

I subconsciously wrapped my arms around my stomach and felt a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach.

How dare he!

Jake must have seen me not responding and stopped laughing. He cleared his throat and sighed deeply.

"If you're wondering…I seriously didn't do anything to you, Miley. You know I'm not like that," he said.

"Like I said last night, _people change_," I pointed out sarcastically.

"Literally." I pointed to my clothes.

"You remember last night?" His eyes widened and stood up abruptly. His eyes were looking at everything except me, which made me wonder why he was acting that way. I stood up next to him and sighed.

"Well…I remember some of it. Everything's a little unclear to me right now." Right when I said those words, a massive headache came out of nowhere. I groaned loudly and fell on my bed.

"My head hurts…" I clutched my forehead and slapped it as if it will go away.

"Ooh, hangover," Jake said, somewhat relieved. Again, I have no idea why, but that didn't really matter at the moment. My head felt as if it was going to split apart and I wanted to scream. Jake straightened my body position so that my legs weren't awkwardly bent. He fluffed up the pillows and pulled the end of the blanket closer to my reach. Then he went over to the side of the bed and opened the windows, but closed the curtains. I smiled weakly, but then I groaned when my head started to throb.

"Jake, can you please get me some medicine?" I managed to gasp.

"Where is it?" he asked quickly.

"Kitchen. Fourth drawer next to fridge. White container. Blue capsules," I strained and groaned. He nodded and ran out the bedroom. About an agonizing minute later, he came back with two pills and a glass of water. I grabbed them from his hands and downed it right away. I fell back into the pillows with a grunt and closed my eyes. I heard my door creak open and I slightly opened my eyes to see Jake heading out the door.

"Jake," I whispered loud enough for him to hear. He stopped, turned around, and walked towards me. I patted the spot next to me and he sat down.

"Please stay."

Oh, geez.

I almost sounded desperate.

He just nodded and I smiled weakly at him, which he returned. I patted his hand in thanks and I felt too weak to pull back. He stared at our hands for the longest of time and I felt myself slowly drifting off to sleep. I suddenly woke up in surprise when I felt my hand in his, with his thumb stroking me gently.

"What about Shirley?" I sighed and looked at our intertwining hands. Surely, his gesture was a sign of friendship, but I couldn't help but think that this small gesture made me feel otherwise.

"I told her that I was at my parents' house this morning. I came home really late and left really early to go to the beach, so my parents won't be questioned."

"Nice. Very smart, Mr. Ryan." I grinned.

"So…what are you doing tonight?" Jake asked and I groaned.

"Too loud…"

"Sorry," he whispered. "What are you going to do today?" I closed my eyes for a few minutes, breathing deeply.

"Well we were supposed to work on the invitations for your wedding this morning, but obviously I'll have to do that until I feel better. Tonight, I have a Hannah concert…you can come if you want. It's the least I can do to repay you," I offered.

"I think that sounds like a good idea. You_ do_ have to repay me after throwing up all over me last night," he teased me and I blushed.

"Sorry about that. I never drink, you know, that was my first," I said slowly.

"No way! You really were drinking those down pretty quickly. By the time you finished your third, I was getting a little concerned, but I didn't push it. But after the sixth…that's when you lost it. Well anyways, I'll ask Shirley about the concert later," he said and I frowned.

I invited _him_, not Shirley.

And what the hell? _Six drinks, Miley Stewart?_

All of a sudden, my stomach made a large grumbling sound and I patted it, not feeling embarrassed at all.

"You must be hungry," Jake laughed and I nodded. I let go of Jake's hand and clutched my head. The headache was slowly going away, but sometimes there would be big throbs that liked to remind me that it was still there. I must have looked funny because I was holding my forehead and I was patting my stomach at the same time.

"I'll get you something to eat," Jake offered and got up. I hesitantly grabbed his hand and he turned sharply and glanced at our hands. I cleared my throat and our eyes locked, which made me stomach do somersaults.

"Thanks…for everything." I genuinely smiled at him, which he returned, tripling the somersaults in my stomach. He let go of my hand and walked out the door. I sighed and felt myself slowly drift off to sleep, even though I was trying hard to stay awake for the food that I desperately needed.

Sigh.

"Okay, so that's everyone, right? No more?" I tapped my pen against my hand and huffed impatiently. Jake stayed with me until I felt good enough to actually go around on my own. Who knew that Jake Ryan could actually cook delicious chicken soup? Anyways, we ended up moving the invitations appointment to later that afternoon, since I insisted that we should have gotten it over with.

Shirley drummed her fingers against her chin and stared at me hard. I tried my best not to squirm under her intense gaze, so I just looked at her with a calm expression on my face.

All of a sudden, she snapped her fingers loudly, which caused Jake and I to jump.

"Donald Trump---I can't believe I almost forgot about him!" She laughed and I wrote down his name.

"He's just so nice! You're fired!" Shirley did a very…interesting impression of him. Jake tried hard not to laugh at how ridiculous she sounded and I just looked at her awkwardly, not quite knowing how to react to such a bad impression.

At that moment, Miranda walked in.

"What?" She screamed and ran towards Shirley, clasping her hands and begging on her knees.

"No, Miranda. She was trying to do Donald Trump, which you pulled off pretty nicely, honey," Jake said and smiled at her. I snorted and Jake gave me a look to shut up. Shirley didn't notice the interaction between us because she tapped Jake's nose adoringly and made a face at him.

"Uh…Miley?" Miranda said and waved her hand in front of my face.

"What?" I said, a little too harshly.

"Why'd you rip the guest list?"

I looked at my hands and groaned.

Apparently, I must have ripped Jake and Shirley's guest list while I saw them flirting with each other.

"It's okay, Miranda. It's just one thousand names that took us three hours to write down _everything_. From the name to the address to the number to the personalization…" I said sarcastically.

Oh, great. Now I'll have to spend another hour figuring out what I wrote because I tore it up badly.

I attempted to tape back the three sheets of paper together, but it didn't work out that much. I could still see the names of the people, but for some of them I have to guess whether the names start with an "R" or a "K." I told Miranda to stay with Jake and Shirley while I went down the hall to our invitation computers. They already pre-picked what they wanted their invitation to look like the first time they were here, so that made things a lot easier. I put the list in the filing cabinet under my name under one of the computers and locked it. I got a Post-It and made myself a note on the computer that I placed it in there. I made another note and placed it on the bulletin board to warn everyone that the computer is going to be taken by me for the next couple of days.

I walked back into my office to see Miranda on the couch, sleeping. My mouth made an O-shape and I raised my eyebrow and pointed at her. Jake stood up from his chair and made a lot of hand motions. His mouth opened and closed, as if he was having difficulty in trying to explain what happened to her.

I held up my hand, telling him to stop "explaining."

"I don't even want to know," I said simply.

"So, on Thursday, which is tomorrow, I'll have a sample of the invitation ready and you will come in to say whether you like it, don't like it, want to change it, or whatever you like. Did you make an appointment with Mandy, yet? I'm only free in the afternoon because I have to do some family thing that will take me the whole morning," I said and I couldn't help but smile.

The only thing that I'm going to do that morning is sleep because I know that I am going to be exhausted from the Hannah concert tonight.

Magwood is going to the concert tonight too and knowing her, she won't even go to work tomorrow, so that means that we can go to work later than usual.

"Yes, we did, but we can't reschedule it. You see, my girlfriends from San Francisco are coming to Malibu tomorrow and we are going to spend the whole day together. So it's either we schedule our next appointment early in the morning or we don't for a while." Shirley smiled sweetly at me and I wanted to smack her.

I just smiled back at her and said, "Of course. First thing tomorrow morning then."

Well, there goes my sleep.

"Great! See you at 6 in the morning! Come on, Jake. You're taking me shopping," Shirley smiled and blew a kiss at me. She got up and tugged Jake's hand roughly.

"S…s…six?" I whimpered and sat on my chair with a thud.

"I'm sorry about this. I'll see you tonight," Jake mouthed.

"Actually, I'm sorry for you," I said apologetically.

"Jakey," Shirley cried. "Come on, let's go! How am I supposed to impress Catherine, Margaret, and Courtney if they see me wearing last week's boots?"

"Okay, okay, let's go," Jake sighed and waved at me sadly.

After staring at the spot where he was a few moments ago, I shook my head and pulled my hair. I took off my heels and jumped up and down a couple of times and made lots of weird noises. I walked over to my candy tray and grabbed a random sucker. Then I took my duster and started to dust the pictures on the wall and I stood over the picture of Jake and I for quite a while, contemplating whether or not I should put it down.

Did Shirley notice? More importantly, did Jake notice that it was up there and that I kept this picture after all of these years? I shook my head again and swirled the lollipop around my tongue.

I won't take out the picture; instead, I'll put a picture of Miranda and I on top of it.

Satisfied with my decision, I put back the duster, threw away the lollipop stick, and jumped around my office until I felt exhausted. After a couple of minutes of intense jumping, I got my cellphone and set an alarm to five, which let me have two hours to do whatever I wanted to do.

With one last intense round of jumping, I got a pillow and two blankets from one of my cabinets and lay both of them in front of the couch and one blanket on top of Miranda. With one last sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to make the most out of the two hours I had left until I had to get ready for the concert tonight.

"I see your face

I look in your eyes  
What you feel is no surprise  
Everyone needs something to believe in

Tell me your dreams and I'll tell you mine  
In our hearts we'll look inside  
And see all the colors of a rainbow  
I know

We all want to believe in love  
We all want to believe in something  
Bigger than just us  
We all want to be a part  
Of the greater picture  
That's hanging in our hearts  
Yeah it's bigger than us

I want to see beyond my own little world  
Grab your hand so we can twirl around the galaxy  
See the world with clarity  
Ooh (ooh)

We have such a long way to go  
But I know

We're getting closer every day

We all want to believe in love  
We all want to believe in something  
Bigger than just us  
We all want to be a part  
Of the greater picture  
That's hanging in our hearts  
Yeah it's bigger than us

It fills the universe  
Lights the skies above  
And rescues all our hearts with love

(L.O.V.E. love)  
With love...(L.O.V.E. love)

That's what's bigger than us

It's love it's love that's bigger than us  
It's love it's love that's bigger than us  
It's love it's love it's love it's love it's love it's love

We all want to believe in love

We all want to believe something  
Bigger than just us"

The music faded and the crowd went wild. I pushed my hair out of my face and laughed as the crowd chanted for more.

"Thanks for coming out tonight. I love you all and you are part of the reason why I love keep on doing what I love to do. Goodnight, everybody!" I waved animatedly to the crowd and they screamed and applauded. With one last wave, I ran backstage and took off my microphone. I was about to go into my dressing room, when I saw a couple of young girls looking at me with star-struck faces. I smiled and walked over to them and they all looked at each other with excited looks on their faces.

"Hi! I'm Hannah," I took their hands and shook them, which they all stared at as if they were never going to wash their hands again.

"We know who you are," a blonde girl said. "I want to be just like you someday!"

"Aw, thanks! If you work hard and keep on believing in yourself, then all your dreams will come true."

Ha. What a Disney thing to say.

The blonde girl smiled toothily at me and then I signed some autographs for her and her friends. After taking a couple of pictures and giving them some t-shirts, I waved at them goodbye and they left.

"Aw, Hannah. That was so sweet." I turned around and saw Shirley and Jake walking towards me.

"Shirley! Jake! Long time no see," I gasped and pretended to look shocked. Jake stifled a laugh while Shirley and I hugged.

"I know! So did you like the show?" I asked while we were walking towards my dressing room. I sat down on my make-up chair, crossed my legs, and placed my hand under my chin. Jake and Shirley both sat on the couch, but they weren't sitting that close to each other, for some strange reason.

"Loved it! You always do the best shows, Hannah," Shirley gushed and I laughed it off.

"Thanks! So how is your wedding going along?" I asked conversationally, even though talking about their wedding wasn't my top conversation choices.

"It's good. Our planner is always busy, though. Any guesses why?" Jake said and we tried hard not to laugh. Thankfully, Shirley didn't notice any of this. I tapped my finger on my chin, pretending to think about the situation.

"Maybe, she's just extremely busy…like, she has other things going on," I said.

"That's very interesting…or maybe she's just ditching us so that she can party with her very famous clients," Jake replied and I giggled.

"I bet that's not true. I heard that wedding planners love to sleep because they barely get enough of it, especially since they are always _so_ busy," I replied. I bit my lip and smiled widely, enjoying the little game that we had going on. Jake was about to reply when Shirley cut him.

"You're telling me," Shirley scoffed. "So our planner, Miley, has this friend and she _loves_ to sleep. I mean, almost every time we are all in the same room, she practically passes out and falls asleep!" She laughed and that wiped the smile off of my face.

"Like today, she passed out because Jake told her that he had Leonardo DiCaprio's number. It's like she has narcolepsy or something," she laughed even more, which pissed me off. I was about to yell inappropriate things to her, but I looked at Jake first. He gave me a look and shrugged his shoulders. Not quite knowing what he meant, I restrained myself and laughed unconvincingly with Shirley, who didn't even notice.

"Well, like a wedding planner, I love my sleep too! Tomorrow…ha ha, big day! So I'm going to leave in a few seconds so…bye!" I said quickly and practically ran out the door, trying to contain my anger.

"Miley!" I turned around sharply, which made Jake almost crash into me.

"Jake! Watch what you're saying!" I whispered loudly, glaring at him.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Also, Shirley lied about Miranda. She fainted because she took one of your candies and she just…fainted! I carried her onto the couch and I…yeah," he finished lamely.

"Oh."

Before I left, Miranda woke up when I was fixing up my papers. She was too embarrassed to tell me why she was asleep on my couch while she was supposed to be talking to Jake and Shirley. Obviously Jake and Shirley didn't do that she was extremely allergic to cherries and that she faints instead of breaking out.

"Well, thanks for being honest with me. I'll see you tomorrow…first thing in the morning!" I waved at him and left quickly.

"Have fun with that bitch," I muttered to myself.

Why am I acting like this? I'm not jealous, just extremely pissed off at Shirley for making fun of everything that I have.

"I seriously hate her."

That's one of the most truthful things I said all day.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry, but it's very filler-chapter-ish and it was kind of uneventful...but please review anyways! I have made a lot of mistakes in this one, so if you see some, don't hesistate to point them out. Again, sorry for the long wait for the next update. 


	9. Picture Perfect

**Author's Note: **Sorry for not updating in a couple of weeks. That's what happens when you have no time and you are constantly being distracted by Guitar Hero 3. Hopefully, this chapter will satisfy you all!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"So, how was yesterday?"

My head snapped in Miranda's direction so fast, that I was surprised that it didn't make that disgusting cracking noise.

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly and cleared my throat. "I mean, what do you mean?" I said a little less suspiciously.

"Oh, you know. Yesterday…after the party…Jake brought you home and I tried calling you only a couple million times last night! Seriously, what were you and Mr. Ryan doing yesterday that made you ignore all of my phone calls?" Miranda asked, twirling her lollipop between her fingers. I turned my gaze away from her and took out a photography binder. I skimmed through a couple of background selection pages and bookmarking the ones that I thought that fit best with the theme of the Brewart-Ryan wedding. While I was searching for driving directions on the Internet to get to the photography place, I tried thinking of ways to answer Miranda's question without sounding as if I sounded fake.

"Nothing. He just took me home and stayed overnight," I said nonchalantly, closing the binder and getting an empty bottle. I quickly walked out of my office, hoping that Miranda wouldn't follow me and just drop the subject.

"Miss Miley Stewart, oh no you didn't!" Miranda yelped and jogged behind me. She grabbed my arm and spun me around to face her. I rolled my eyes and held the bottle up to her face.

"I don't know about you, but I don't want my plants to die. I wouldn't want you to be the reason why they are photosynthesizing," I said sarcastically and turned back around. I walked quickly towards the office lounge with Miranda's heels clicking noisily after me. Once we got in the lounge, I went over to the sink and began filling the bottle up with water.

"You slept with Jake Ryan?" Miranda asked loudly. Right when she said that, everyone in the lounge stopped talking and looked towards my direction. I blushed furiously and I clicked my heels noisily against the tile.

"You did, didn't you?" Miranda gasped and her eyes widened.

"How dare he! He takes advantage of you when you were drunk. When I get my hands on him---"

"Miranda!" I yelled at her and she stopped mid-sentence. Apparently, she didn't realize that she was talking loudly and that everyone was watching us. I turned off the water and smiled at everyone.

"I'm sorry, she's just talking about this new reality show that her…cousin told her. Look it up on YouTube or something," I laughed nervously and dragged Miranda out of the lounge.

"First of all, no, I did_ not_ sleep with Jake. Secondly, could you be any louder? Seriously, if the tabloids get this, Jake's, Shirley's, and _my_ career is at stake! He just took me home and passed out because he was drunk too. And I couldn't call you last night because of a family thing and…we have this rule of no cellphones while…music time? Yeah, that's right! We always sing songs together and…yeah," I finished lamely. Sure, I kind of bended the truth a bit…but what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

"Okay, whatever. But could you imagine the look on Shirley's face if you found out that you really did hook up with Jake?" Miranda giggled and plopped on my couch. I chuckled, despite how I thought that that question and situation would be extremely inappropriate. I took my time to water the plants and stopped every once in a while to finger the soft petals of the flowers.

"I have a meeting with them this afternoon, you know. We're doing photoshoots today at Maple Lake. Shirley's been on my case about specifically doing the photoshoot there for some strange reason," I said.

"Really? Maybe it's because they had great lighting there. I remembered going there in middle school and my friends and I would always check out the hot guys that jogged by. I haven't been there in a while. Can I come too?" Miranda asked while getting some water from my fridge.

"Yeah, no problem. Don't you have work to do though?" I asked, putting the empty bottle back into the cabinet. I sat down on the couch right next to Miranda and hugged a pillow to my chest.

"Yeah, but it's something that I can do tomorrow," she shrugged.

"Oh, by the way, I took care of your job. I found a DJ for the Bloom wedding at Jojo's party," she said and I felt kind of bad.

"How?"

"I have my ways…" she said nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal. Then she turned towards me and her eyes were twinkling. I knew that she was going to burst any second because I could feel her excitement.

"Mikayla told me! It was so _beyond_ cool! I was on my way to the DJ and we accidentally bumped into each other and then I told her that I was a_huge_ fan, but I kept my cool and didn't harass her with numerous questions. Well anyways, she told me that the music sucked and I told her that I agreed, but I secretly disagreed because I knew that if I said that I disagreed instead of agreeing on what she said that she thought that I agreed so we both thought that we were agreeing with each other, then she wouldn't like me. And you know how much that would totally suck for your idol since you were teenager, next to Hannah Montana, to find out that you were lying that you agreed to the agreement that she agreed on because you disagreed on what was supposed to be agreed on and---"

"I get it," I said and she shut up.

"Well anyways, she just started talking about DJs that she really liked. So I asked for their numbers and invited her to the Bloom wedding because she asked why I was looking for them," she said happily.

Oh, great.

Mikayla is going?

"Actually," Miranda paused. "She kind of invited herself to it…but it doesn't matter! Mikayla and I are practically friends now," she said haughtily.

"Jealous, much?" she asked and poked my pillow.

"Very," I said sarcastically.

"---told you, it's supposed to be silk white, not egg white! I can't believe you can't tell the difference, Jake. It's _totally_ obvious! Miley, what do you think?" Shirley burst out of nowhere, holding out two pieces of white fabric to my face. Miranda and I looked at each, then looked at Shirley, then looked at the fabric and we looked at each other again.

"Uh…" Miranda trailed off.

"Honestly, there's no difference," I said, even though it sounded more like a question.

"Ha! I told you!" Jake said smugly, raising a fist in the air.

"Whatever," Shirley huffed and put the fabric in her bag. I signaled Miranda to leave and she nodded, getting the hint, and left.

"There isn't much to do here… so are you ready to go?" I asked them, walking over to the coat rack and grabbing my jacket.

"Ready as ever," Shirley said perkily.

"I'm _beyond_ excited for this photoshoot! I mean, sure, I've gone through_hundreds_ of photoshoots before, because I am Shirley Brewart, after all," she laughed haughtily.

"But this one is going to be the best one ever! I just know it. Right, Jake?" she asked, linking her arms through his. Jake rolled his eyes and he looked at me.

"Right, Shirley," he said. I smiled at him and laughed silently, apparently the only one noticing that he was being sarcastic. Shirley squealed and kissed him on the cheek, giving him a quick hug. I stopped smiling and turned away, blushing. I grumbled and quickly grabbed my keys on my desk.

"Okay, let's go," I said tonelessly, opening the door for them. Shirley dragged Jake out the door, talking his ear off on how excited she was, while I locked the door. I had to jog halfway down the long hallway to catch up to them because Shirley wanted to get there quickly.

"So, how was the Hannah Montana concert yesterday?" I asked breathlessly, half jogging-half walking on Shirley's left side. Jake leaned his head back a little and mouthed a thank you. I just nodded and felt sorry for his left ear.

"It was fine…hey, how did you know that we were at the concert last night?" Shirley asked, slowing her pace a little, much to my relief. I abruptly stopped in my tracks, widening my eyes.

How the hell did I know that?

I couldn't tell her that I was literally _at_ the concert.

_It wouldn't matter whatever I say anyways because she might think that I am stalking them or that I still have a thing for Jake and that I'm stalking_him_ or that I am secretly obsessed with her or that I went to the Hannah concert last night, but I can't say that because she would have told me that I was rude to not go over and say hi or maybe…_

"I texted her last night," Jake said, coming to my rescue. I breathed out a sigh or relief and started walking with them again.

"Why?" Shirley asked sharply. I gave her an offending look behind her head. Why, she is talking as if I wasn't there.

Rude, much?

"I told her that we were at the concert and that we might be late today because we were going to be tired from the night before," Jake said smoothly. I almost applauded him, thankful for his amazing acting skills and improvisation.

"Oh," Shirley shrugged. We got to my car and I drove to the photography place.

"So…" I said, trying to break the awkward silence.

"You never answered my question, you know. How was the concert? You must be quite a fan to be going to two of her concerts in the past few weeks," I said, looking into the rear-view mirror at Shirley, who shrugged and crossed her arms.

"It was alright. It's Jake who's the big fan anyways. He won't stop insisting and bugging me to go when we could have been doing much more interesting things like shopping," she huffed. I stopped at the stoplight and looked at Jake, who was looking out the window at the old couple who was crossing the street. I cleared my throat, hopefully gaining his attention. Sadly, the only attention I got was Shirley yelling at me to go because the light turned green.

"So, you don't like Hannah Montana very much?" I asked, trying my best not to sound disappointed. I knew that not everyone liked me, but it never hurt to actually hear someone else's point of view towards my alter ego.

"Are you kidding me?" Shirley scoffed. "I can't stand her! She's always so nice and her songs are disgusting and lame. Her voice sounds like a cross between a horse and a dying horse. Sometimes I wonder if the record company had to pay big bucks to keep her songs playing on the radio or if she puts a hidden message underneath all of her songs to brainwash them into thinking that she's _'the bomb.'_"

"Oh, really?" I said tightly, gripping the wheel so hard that my fingers were turning white.

"Yeah. And her_hair_---I mean, come on! Can you spell U-G-L-Y? Her outfits look as if someone dumped her in Limited Too. She seems like a fake poser compared to the real stars. She acts all nice and sweet to her little fans, but I bet that she actually pays them to go up to her and ask for autographs," she said, putting lipstick on.

That's it.

She can make fun of my music.

She can make fun of my looks.

But no one can make fun of my fans.

I slammed on the brakes, which made everyone lurch forward.

"What the hell was that for?" Shirley yelled. She looked at her mirror and gasped in horror when she saw that the lipstick ran through her left cheek.

"You know what?" I yelled, turning towards her. She glared at me and placed her hands on her hips, daring me to question her.

"What." Shirley leaned forward, daring me to answer her.

"I… We're here!" I exclaimed lamely, smiling widely at her. Shirley just gave me a look-over and rolled her eyes. She opened the door and closed it roughly, making the car shake.

Oh, the things I would do to her if she weren't paying me.

I looked over at Jake, who was looking at me apologetically.

"Of all people…" I trailed off and pointed my finger towards him. Not knowing what else to say, I put my hand into a fist then slowly put my hand down and breathed deeply.

"I'm sorry about that," he said sincerely. I looked at him and we stared at each other for a while. All of the anger that I once felt was suddenly gone and my stomach erupted in chaotic butterflies.

"Seriously, Miley. I'm sorry for all of the shit she's been saying about you. I honestly didn't know that she felt so…so…strongly about you. I think that you are a fantastic singer with a beautiful voice," he said softly and put his hand on my bare knee, which my eyes abruptly turned to. I felt myself blush as his thumb moved in circles, making my skirt go a little higher. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and he suddenly retracted his hand as if he just realized what he was doing. The spot where his hand just occupied suddenly felt cold, but my skin was still tingling.

After an awkward silence, Jake spoke up.

"Let me make it up to you, somehow," Jake offered, even though it sounded more like a statement.

"Tomorrow night. I'll take you out to dinner." I looked at him in disbelief.

"And Shirley?" I asked slowly.

"Oh, yes. I guess that Shirley can come too," he added, sounded quite resentful.

Wait, wait, wait a minute.

He was planning on having dinner with _just_ him and me?

ME? Miley Stewart?

Damn, you mouth! Damn, you for speaking!

…

What the hell?

Why am I wishing that it would be just Jake and I having dinner like old times? He's practically a married man, and married men are a big no-no.

"Ah, let's go inside," I said awkwardly.

"Yeah. Inside. Now. Let's go," he said. We got out of my car and I locked it. When we opened the door to the office to check in, three girls pulled Jake immediately towards the dressing rooms.

"What's the rush, Devin?" I asked the photographer and set my bag down on one of the chairs.

"Well, funny story, actually. One of your clients comes rushing in half an hour ago, but you and the other client weren't with her. Why is that?"

"Were the awkward silences seriously _that_ long?" I asked aloud.

"Nothing. We were just talking…but if Shirley asks, I dropped my keys on our way here and we couldn't find it so we went to the Lost and Found, which was across the street," I said quickly.

"Okay?" Devin said. Jake and Shirley got out of their dressing rooms and Devin motioned for them to pose in front of the tree in front of the lake with swans in the background. Shirley was wearing an elegant off-the-shoulder gold dress that trailed on the floor like a waterfall. It was trimmed with sequins and beads all over and despite its beauty, it hurt to look at it because the beads glare reflected in my eyes. Her hair was curled to perfection and her face was drowned in make-up. Other than that, she looked very…professional, which I guess would be the appropriate word. Jake, on the other hand, looked very natural and handsome in his gray tuxedo. He wore a gold vest, a plain white silk tie, and a blue flower clipped onto the side. He smiled for the camera, while Shirley smiled and posed like she was posing for a magazine shoot.

Suddenly, Devin made a loud noise, which resembled a bark, and everyone jumped in surprise.

"This is boring! Do something interesting. Here," he said and made his way over to Jake and Shirley. I cocked my eyebrow at him while he was trying to move their hands, feet, and body positions.

"There! That's more like it!" Devin grinned widely at what he did and rushed back to his camera. I looked in envy when Jake's hands were wrapped tightly around Shirley's waist, while Shirley's hands were around her neck. They were looking into each other's eyes and smiling as if they were the only people in the world.

"Okay, now Shirley, turn around and put your hands---yes! Like that, yes, like that. They Jake do the same thing that you were doing before…yes. Now lean in to each other slowly…stop! Perfect, just perfect. Now hold it…"

Shirley's arms were clasped around Jake's neck, while Jake's hands were lightly resting on her hips. Their foreheads were touching and they were smiling and looking into each other's eyes. I felt like running away, but that would have been childish and I did not want another repeat of last time. Instead, I took my gaze away from the couple and moved to the computers to look at the finished product. As I was looking at the pictures, I couldn't help but notice how perfect they looked together.

They have perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect teeth, and perfect faces, perfect bodies to go with their perfect outfits in their perfect lives…

It made me feel so…so…_ordinary_ compared to them. Even though my life is anything _but_ ordinary.

I sighed sadly.

Jake really is meant to be with Shirley. Once this is all over, they'll be able to support each other through all of the chaos from the paparazzi and other things that come with being famous. They'll raise a family and have spoiled kids, who hopefully get their father's personality. I'll just go back to being Miley Stewart, who reads her ex's life story on tabloid magazines until she is lonely and old with a billion cats for children.

After wondering why Devin hasn't taken a picture in a while, I walked back to Jake, Shirley, and him. They changed their location to the playground and Shirley was complaining about how unsanitary it was. Jake rolled his eyes and his gaze ended up landing on me. I just stared back blankly, not exactly knowing what to think and ignoring the familiar feeling in my stomach.

"Okay, now, pose over there… Good! Good! Excellent! Now turn your body---no, the other way. Yes, good," Devin muttered and then clicked his tongue. He motioned for them to go to the monkey bars, where they smiled and posed again.

"For the final shot, kiss. Kiss like there's no tomorrow!" Devin exclaimed and got his camera ready. Shirley smiled widely and Jake blushed, not looking at Shirley in the eye. I clenched and unclenched my jaw as I watched half in horror and half in jealousy.

Again, I wanted to run away, but I couldn't move from my spot.

Shirley leaned in to kiss Jake, but then at the last minute, Jake tilted his head upwards to that he kissed her nose, while Shirley kissed his chin.

"What the heck, Jake?" Shirley pouted childishly.

"It's okay. I still have a few more shots to go. Do it again," Devin sighed and positioned the camera. The next couple of takes, Jake kept on turning his head or missing, which aggravated the living hell out of Shirley and Devin.

"Come on, Jakey! What's wrong with you? It's not like I have bad breath or anything, right?" Shirley asked worriedly and left to grab a mint.

"Jake," Devin walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"You've done this many times in front of cameras before. What's wrong with now?" Devin asked and shook his head. Jake just shrugged in response.

"Sorry. I'll get it right this time," he muttered.

"You better. I only have a couple of shots left, so you better make at least one good one." Jake sighed and sat down on the swing. He swung his foot back and forth, kicking the woodchips and hanging his head down. After taking a few deep breaths, I walked up to him and sat down on the swing right next to him. I swung my feet back and forth a little to enjoy the feel of the wind on my face. I couldn't swing too high though because I was wearing a skirt.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked conversationally. I glanced at Jake, who looked up towards me.

"Nothing much, you?" he smiled and started to swing also.

"Well, I'm swinging so that means that I'm up," I said jokingly. He chuckled and I dug my heels into the ground to stop swinging and Jake followed suit.

"Jake, it's just a picture, you know," I said seriously. I wanted to get straight to the point, instead of beating around the bush.

"I know…" he sighed and leaned his forehead against the chain.

"If you're having a hard time trying to kiss her under pressure, just pretend that you're somewhere else or that she's someone else…or something," I finished lamely and blushed. He turned his head towards me and I was suddenly engrossed in his bright green eyes.

Did I seriously suggest him to make out with someone that is _not_ his wife-to-be?

I turned away and cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Jake! Come here! These are our last shots, so you better not mess up!" Shirley yelled angrily.

"Coming!" Jake yelled back and got up. I stayed rooted in my spot on the swing just watching him walk towards everyone else. He was about halfway there when he paused and turned around. He stared at me for a while and then gave me a tiny nod and a small smile. I smiled and nodded back at him, then got up from the swing and followed him.

Jake and Shirley were back in the previous position they were in a few minutes ago except this time Jake looked slightly more relaxed.

"Ready? One…two…" Devin counted slowly and everything was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Jake leaned in towards Shirley and their lips lightly touched. I thought I was going to scream in rage, but I calmed myself slightly when Devin took a shot and exclaimed that it was perfect. Shirley was starting to pull away when Jake placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer. Shirley gasped, but quickly responded to his kisses. Devin clapped his hands and took more shots at different angles. On the outside, I looked calm and indifferent, but on the inside, I felt that I was being torn apart and felt like crying.

I turned my head, closed my eyes and tried to get rid of the image of the couple making out in front of me. I grabbed my bag and quietly started walking away from the crew.

"Miley…" I heard someone whisper. I shook my head and continued to walk as if I didn't hear the person.

"Miley? What the fuck, Jake? Did you just call me Miley?" I turned around and Shirley pushed Jake away from her with a disgusted look on her face.

"What?" he asked, looking dazed.

"Did you just call me Miley?" Shirley repeated, crossing her arms.

"No…" Jake trailed off, looking confused. I sighed loudly and stormed off, trying to drown out the fight that the couple was having. All of a sudden, right when I was about to get in my car, someone yelled out my name. I turned around to see Jake running up to me, but when we were only a couple feet apart, he slowed down and looked confused.

"What, Jake?" I asked, daring him to test my anger. He still looked confused for a while until he walked up towards me closing the distance until we were only a foot apart. My breath got caught in my throat and I felt my hands starting to sweat. He leaned into me and I unconsciously closed my eyes, hoping that I didn't want to happen would happen. It wasn't until he moved his face towards my side and my cheeks tingled when his nose brushed against it.

"Pick you up at 7," he whispered in my ear and leaned back with a smirk on his face. Enraged by his actions and what I wanted him to do, I glared at him with all of my might and stepped into the car. I drove off, wishing nothing more than wanting to bang my head against the wall.

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**Author's Note:** Ooh...the chapters from now on are going to be much more interesting, I guarantee you. The next chapter is awesome, so far. Well...at least in my head and what I've written so far, it is. Hehe. Please review, especially if there are any grammar mistakes. Reviews seriously make my day, especially with all of the chaos that's happening in my life. 


	10. Table for Two More

**Author's Note: After getting over the shock of updating way earlier than I usually do, I hope that you like this! Everything's going to be much more interesting from this point on.**

**Oh, and I was going to put a whole Miley-conscience thing in this chapter, but I hate reading those (random, but...well...eh.).**

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**Chapter 10**

What in the world was I thinking when I started going out with that pig all those years ago?

That was the first thing I thought when I woke up early the next day. I rubbed my eyes, yawned loudly, and grudgingly got out of bed. I barely got any sleep the night before because the only things I thought of were how much I hated Jake Ryan and how much I thought of Jake Ryan. Seriously, the boy is in my thoughts almost all the time---good and bad…as in evil, not naughty.

I dragged my feet towards the bathroom and it took me a whole minute just to walk there because all of my energy was drained from attempting to put my body to sleep. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, which took me about ten minutes to do. Feeling a little more refreshed, I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. I got some milk and cereal and sat in front of the TV. I put my feet up on the coffee table, feeling much more relaxed than a while ago. I took a sip of my coffee and then I stopped mid-sip.

I didn't make coffee this morning.

I looked around and then I jumped when I saw Miranda coming out of the guest bedroom. She smiled at me and sat next to me, bouncing up and down.

"So how was yesterday's shoot?" she asked casually and took a sip of my coffee.

"How did you get in here?" I asked.

"Through the door." I smacked her lightly with a pillow.

"No, seriously. I don't remember giving you a key…" I trailed off.

"Oh, I know. You asked me to get something from here when you were out doing errands so you told me to get the spare key in your office," she said with a shrug and began eating my cereal.

"So that's where that key went…" I said. "Hey! Get your own cereal!"

"Sorry," she said and put down the empty bowl. I crossed my arms with a huff, realizing that this wasn't going to be the relaxing day I planned for.

"So, what are you going to wear tonight?" Miranda asked.

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Your date with Jake Ryan, duh."

"Creepy girl, say what?" I asked in disbelief.

"Don't worry, Miley," Miranda smiled creepily. "I'll help you get ready," she said and flipped the channel to watch Animal Planet.

"Wow, Miley. Jake Ryan is going to finally realize what he has been missing these past couple of years," Miranda whistled. I rolled my eyes at her, while she just smiled at me. She covered my eyes, turned me around, and took her hands away and I was impressed with what I saw. Jake never said where he was taking us out (by us, I meant Jake, _Shirley_, and me. I forgot that she was supposed to be coming with us too), but knowing Shirley, she would want to eat at an expensive restaurant. I wore a simple and loose black dress with black sequins at the top, which ended right above my knee. For contrast, I wore comfortable red peep-toe pumps and a red necklace with simple earrings. I twirled around, loving the feeling of my dress brushing against my bare legs. My naturally wavy hair was curled a little to add some volume. I peered closer in the mirror and saw that Miranda didn't put too much make-up, much to my relief, because I didn't like looking fake and I would never change my looks to impress anybody…not that I was planning to impress anybody in the first place.

"Thanks, Millie! I look…different, but in a good way," I complimented myself.

_Ding dong!_

"That must be him," I squealed excitedly.

"I mean…uh, that must be him," I said in an attempt to sound annoyed. Miranda just rolled her eyes at me and threw my purse at me. She ran out of my room and answered the door.

"Hey, Jake! Come on in, she's just…uh, waxing her toes," she said quickly and ran back in the room.

"He's here!" she whispered loudly.

"Waxing my toes?" I asked her with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah…well…go get 'em, tiger!" she said and pushed me out the door. I turned towards the door and banged on it, grumbling on how immature she was.

"Wow, Miley. You look…great." I turned around to see Jake standing up from my couch with a single red rose in his hand. He was wearing a black blazer and red dress shirt. I laughed softly, noticing how our outfits matched. The room seemed smaller and I could hear my heart pounding through my chest. We walked towards each other, with each step felt like weight was being lifted off when we got closer.

"Jake Ryan, were you watching me change?" I asked.

"Miley Stewart, did you just flirt with me?" Jake laughed and handed me the rose. I just shook my head laughing and smelled the rose.

"It's just a coincidence that our clothes match," I said, pointing to our outfits. Jake laughed and I noticed something different.

"Where's Shirley?" I asked, trying my best not to sound angry.

"Her manager called her after the photoshoot that she had to fly back to New York to sign some papers for her new modeling thing or whatever," he sighed.

"Can we…not talk about Shirley? I mean, I'm kind of glad that she's not here because I have been wanting to spend some time with one of my friends for a while," he said shyly.

"Jake," I gasped. "I didn't know that Amber and Ashley were going to eat with us," I sighed, pretending to sound sad and disappointed.

"Very funny, Miles," he said sarcastically. I immediately smiled when he called me by my childhood nickname.

"Miles?" I asked and he just smiled and stared at me. After that, it was silent and we just stood there staring at each other.

Right before things were starting to get awkward, Miranda burst from my bedroom and Jake and I jumped in surprise.

"Oh!" Miranda exclaimed and stared at us with wide eyes.

"I thought that you left," she said. I shook my head and gave her a look, which made her eyes widen even more in surprise.

"Uh, sorry. I was just about to leave. I guess I got too caught up in your closet, Miley. Sorry about that," she said sheepishly.

"It's okay. We were just about to leave too. Ready, Jake?" I asked and tugged on his arm towards the door. I smelled his faint cologne and my knees almost buckled because he smelt so good.

"I'm ready. Nice to see you, Miranda," he waved and put his hand on the small of my back, leading me towards the door.

"Have fun, you guys. But not too much fun because that would be just wrong and---"

"We get it, Miranda. Bye!" I yelled quickly and closed the door, muffling her words. My cheeks burned in embarrassment as we were walking towards Jake's car as I thought about what Miranda was suggesting on what we shouldn't be doing. It's not like I'll ever go that far with a guy, especially an engaged man, for crying out loud.

"So where are we going?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence when he started to drive.

"We are going to this restaurant called Laudare, which means to praise in Latin," he said.

"Oh, really? Looks like someone's been doing a little research," I teased, quickly glancing at him.

"Just for you, Miley," he laughed and my heart skipped a beat. Jake turned right and parked in the beach parking lot. He got out of the car first and opened my door.

"Madam," he said and held out his hand. I put my small hand in his and let him pull me out of the car.

"Why, thank you," I gushed and he didn't let go of my hand. We walked out of the parking lot and onto the sidewalk. We were completely content not saying a word to each other and I felt as if I was a teenager again. I squeezed his hand and he suddenly pulled away.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay," I said quietly. From that point on, we just started talking about random things until he gently grabbed my elbow and pointed straight ahead. There was a small restaurant at the end of the street with a big yellow sign that said Laudare in a fancy font. I squealed excitedly because it looked so cute: it looked like a small European house that seemed to stretch when you go inside (as I could see from the windows). When we got inside, Jake said his name and the waiter looked at the both of us with an eyebrow raised.

"Friends," I said to him quickly. I glanced at Jake worriedly. What if someone thinks that we are actually on a real date and that Jake is cheating with Shirley behind her back? If the press gets this…then everything will be ruined. Luckily, the waiter seemed to buy this and lead us inside. We got some looks from people, but Jake just kept on walking as if it was a normal thing.

Once we sat down in the U-shaped booth, Jake asked for some champagne and the waiter left us.

When he came back about two minutes later, Jake popped out the cork and poured some into each of our glasses.

"So," he sighed happily, tilting his glass in the air. "I propose a toast. A toast to rekindling our new and improved relationship."

"What are we? Laundry detergent?" I teased playfully and he just smirked.

"Well, we _are_ clean…and we smell good," he said and I giggled.

I noticed how he said relationship and not friendship.

_Ah, what am I thinking?_ I shook my head and smiled at him.

"To you, Mr. Ryan," I said, holding my glass up.

"No, you, Ms. Stewart," he said. We clinked our glasses together and took a sip. Right when we both finished our first glass, the waiter came by and asked if we were ready to order. Jake told me that the servings here were big, so we decided to share spaghetti and salad. When he left, we started talking. I told him almost everything that had happened since we went our separate ways for college. He told me all about his experiences in the movie-making business and I was fascinated by all of the work that had to be done and how precise every single detail has to be, even if it's just a spec of dust on a prop. He laughed at my embarrassing stories, while I laughed at the pranks that his friends in the cast did to him. We talked about what's been going on with our families and we even talked about the good times in our relationship. All in all, I was surprisingly enjoying myself and I could see that he was having fun as well.

"So then he said, 'No, I'm a Taurus.'" Jake said and I almost cried because I was laughing so hard.

"That…is…hilarious!" I managed to choke out between giggles, while Jake just shook his head at me with a playful smile on his lips.

"Don't you just_love_ this bread? I swear, out of all of the free bread that all the restaurants give, this is seriously the best," I said randomly, putting a ton of butter onto the bread. Jake just gave me a look and helped himself to some.

"Yummy…" I took a bite and closed my eyes, relishing the flavor. When I opened my eyes, I saw Jake laughing silently.

"What?" I asked, putting the bread down.

"You have a butter on your lip," he said with twinkling eyes. I brushed my hand against my lips, not feeling embarrassed at all.

"Is it all gone?" I asked.

"No. Here." Jake reached out and brushed his thumb gently over my lip and wiped the butter off, which made my lips tingle in excitement. He looked into my eyes for a minute and then he looked back down to my lips. He cupped my cheek gently and began rubbing his thumb against it, making small circular motions. He looked at me curiously and then leaned forward. I closed my eyes and my heart was beating so fast that I was afraid that it was going to jump out of my ribcage. The closer he got, the more excited I became. We were only a few centimeters apart…

"I still can't believe that you managed to get reservations here!" We heard a woman practically shout and we sprung away from each other quickly. I scooted a little from Jake and I desperately wanted to fan myself because the room was really warm. I glanced at Jake, who was fumbling with his fingers and was looking at anything except me.

"First Hawaii, now this. Who knew that you could be so romantic?" The woman sighed happily. Her voice got louder as they were approaching our table. She sounded very familiar…

"Well, the honeymoon isn't exactly over, you know," a man said. I widened my eyes and jumped out of the booth.

"Lilly? Oliver? Is that you?!" I practically shouted, completely forgetting about what almost happened earlier. A blonde woman turned in my direction and we both squealed running towards each other. I hugged my best friend tightly and jumped up and down, earning glares and mutters from the people around us, but I didn't care. I haven't seen my best friends in weeks and I'm just so happy that they are here.

"It's good to see you too, Miley," the man said sarcastically. I laughed and let go of Lilly to hug my other best friend.

"So are you sick of Lilly yet?" I teased Oliver, who chuckled in response.

"Only a little, but hey, I survived," he said.

"Alright, talk as if I'm not here," Lilly said sarcastically. Oliver and I laughed and we both turned towards Lilly.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought that you were supposed to be coming back next week? Lilly, you promised that you would call the moment you set your size seven foot into Malibu," I pointed my finger at her like a mom scolding her child.

"Sorry I didn't call. We were watching TV in our hotel and they said that there was going to be an extremely windy for the next couple of days. I don't know about you, but I don't want sand in my eyes every time I go outside. Oh, and we were planning on visiting you tomorrow morning when you're at work as a surprise, but I guess that'll never work," Lilly said and I just nodded, not exactly caring why they were here earlier than expected. I was just so happy to see them, I felt like crying.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked.

"Are you out on a date?" Lilly whispered excitedly, tugging on my arm. Oliver stepped in front of Lilly and looked at me in the eye.

"Who is it?" Oliver asked. I rolled my eyes at him because his protective older brother attitude took over.

"Don't worry, you guys. I'm not on a date. In fact---"

"Miley, are you okay? What's taking you so…long…?" Jake got out of the booth and stared at the three of us, speechless. We all stared at each other for five minutes; Jake, Lilly, and Oliver were completely speechless and I was waving my hands in front of their faces.

"Uh…surprise?" I said lamely.

"Jake?" Lilly asked in surprise.

"Since when did this happen?" Oliver asked, equally surprised.

"Yeah, Miley. Why didn't you tell me?" Lilly snapped out of her trance and looked at me angrily with her arms crossed.

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell us that you and ego-maniac here are back together?" Oliver asked and pointed between Jake and I.

"No, you guys. We're not together…and we never will be," I muttered the last part quietly to myself.

"It's nice to know that you've been talking about me as if I wasn't there," Jake said sarcastically and walked up to us. "Now I know how Lilly feels."

"Yeah!" Lilly said and walked over to Jake's side. After a couple of seconds, Lilly's eyes widened and she turned and hugged Jake tightly.

"Jake! I haven't seen or heard from you in forever!"

"Wow. Talk about a late reaction," I whispered to Oliver, who smiled and shook his head slightly. When Lilly let go of Jake, Oliver went up to him and they shook hands.

"What Lilly said, except without the girlish squealing," Oliver said and they both laughed.

"Let's sit down. You guys can eat with us," Jake offered.

"Are you sure? We don't want to interrupt anything," Lilly said hesitantly.

"No, you weren't interrupting _anything_," I said exaggeratedly. Jake coughed loudly and cleared his throat.

"It's no problem. Besides, I haven't talked to you guys in an extremely long time," Jake said. Lilly and Oliver thanked him and he led us back to our booth. Lilly sat next to my left, while Jake was sitting on my right and Oliver right next to him.

"First things first, are you two back together?" Oliver asked.

"No, we aren't. It's actually quite a long story," Jake said and gave out a long sigh.

"Don't worry, we have _plenty_ of time," Oliver replied.

"The long version or the short version?" Miley asked.

"Long!"

"Short." Lilly and Oliver said at the same time.

"Lilly, I'm sure that Miley will tell you the long version someday," Oliver whispered to her and she nodded.

"Okay. Jake and Shirley Brewart---"

"Shirley Brewart?" Oliver gaped. "She is _so_ hot! But she's not as beautiful as you, babe," he added in quickly when Lilly gave him a death glare. She seemed satisfied with his answer, and motioned for Miley to continue.

"Well anyways, Jake and Shirley Brewart are my new clients. Shirley's not here right now though because she had to fly to New York last night," Miley said.

"Wait a minute. You're engaged and you never even bothered telling us?" she asked Jake, looking offended.

"Sorry. I tried contacting you, but I figured that you wouldn't have the same cellphone numbers since high school," he joked.

"You mean that you're Jake and Shirley Brewart's wedding planner?" Lilly gaped, asking me.

"Yes," I said simply. Lilly and Oliver gave each other a look and then burst out laughing, much to Jake and my surprise.

"What's so funny?" Jake asked.

"Well…everything's funny! The entire situation is downright hilarious, actually," Lilly said between laughs.

"I don't get it," I said. What _have_ these two been doing in Hawaii?

"Well," Oliver said, calming down slightly. "It's just that…we always thought that you would end up marrying Jake. It's just ironic how, out of all people, _you_ are the one planning _his_ wedding. I mean, the chances of that ever happening are one in a million, but I guess that you _are_ that one in a million," Oliver said and Lilly's laughter died down. Jake and I glanced awkwardly at each other and then he quickly changed the subject to their honeymoon. I knew that what they said was the truth, but to hear it aloud made it seem more like reality.

When I was young, everyone thought that I was going to end up with Jake.

Hell, even _I_ thought that I was going to end up with Jake.

I guess that is fate's twisted way of complicating my life.

Eventually, the earlier conversation was forgotten as we ate, talked, and joked as if nothing has changed between us since high school. Oliver ate most of the food, but for once we didn't mind because we still had a lot of food left over. Jake and Oliver were arguing over what were the best classic video games, while Lilly and I gossiped about what has been happening since she left, but I didn't want to give her more details because Jake might overhear us.

The next thing we knew, it was midnight and the employees were trying their best not to look pissed off at us. Jake paid for everything, despite our numerous attempts to try and take the bill from the waiter. We were outside saying our goodbyes to each other, which took about another half hour and then we all went our separate ways. Jake and I walked towards our car, while Lilly and Oliver waited for the valet to bring their car.

On the way back to my place, we didn't talk the entire time because we were both so tired and worn out from dinner. It's a good thing that Shirley wasn't here, or else she would have made dinner awkward and boring. Jake parked in front of my apartment and I was surprised that we made it back so quickly. Neither of us got up, so I turned towards Jake, who was already looking at me.

"Thanks, Jake, for everything," I said honestly.

"I had so much fun tonight, even though we were planning it for the two…uh, three of us. But it was a nice surprise, wasn't it?" I asked unsurely.

"Same here, but at least we had the chance to talk right before they came in," he replied and smiled shyly at me, which I returned. We both got out of the car and he walked me towards my apartment. When I got there, we just looked at each other awkwardly, not exactly knowing how to say goodbye.

"Do you want to come in? I mean, you must be tired, so you should at least rest a little before driving back to your hotel," I offered boldly.

"Thanks, that'd be great," he said. I took out my keys to unlock the door and we went inside. I closed the door behind me and smiled at my guest, who was lounging on the couch with his hands behind his head.

* * *

**Author's Note: I already have part of the next chapter finished, so maybe there will be another update soon (no guarantees). Please review! Hopefully PenguinsRFunny didn't die from waiting for this to be updated. : )**


	11. Childhood Memories

**Author's Note: Woah, three days?**

**Disclaimer: Officially hating the fact that I did not think of this beautiful song before Tamia did.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"So…" I said, biting my lip.

"Yup," he replied.

"You're here."

"That would be obvious."

I tried my hardest not to roll my eyes.

We were getting nowhere.

"Do you want anything to drink?" I offered.

"Water is fine with me," he yawned. I nodded, walked to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses. I filled them both with water and slowly placed two ice cubes in each one. I took my sweet time making sure that everything was perfect so that I could think about what we were going to talk about. I honestly have no idea what came over me when I asked him to come inside. Now, I am starting to regret it because he's making me tongue-tied…and I'm not even talking!

I walked back to the living room to see Jake sitting on the chair peering at my computer.

"What did your mother teach you about asking permission?" I asked playfully. He laughed a little and muttered an apology. I walked over to where he sat and placed the water in front of him. I crossed my arms, placed them on his head, and looked at the computer.

"I remember when you kept on asking your dad if you can have one of these," Jake said, pointing to the picture of the Black Labrador that I wanted.

"I know. Now that I don't live under the same roof as him, I can finally get one. The only problem is that I never have the time to go down to the shelter to actually adopt him," I sighed sadly. Jake was silent and I just played with the hair underneath my fingers, noticing how soft and good and it smelled. After a couple of minutes, Jake moved to get up. I took my arms off of his head and walked towards the couch. I turned on the TV and flipped to MTV. They were playing music videos, which I personally preferred rather than the reality TV shows.

Mikayla's music video for "Glass Slipper" was on. I glared at her face and made fun of the lyrics instead of changing the channel because the song was going to be over in a couple of seconds. I heard an unfamiliar acoustic sound and I peered at the video; I only saw Mikayla and a group of guys dancing around her. I turned my head to see Jake sitting on the computer chair with my guitar in his hands. I closed the TV and listened to its soft strumming, completely entranced.

I closed my eyes and slightly swayed my body to the music and got lost in its sweet melody. Jake's fingers swiftly moved up and down the arm while his fingers strummed and plucked the chords. The tune of the song was very familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on what song it was. Nevertheless, it was very beautiful and it moved me.

That's what I loved about music: there's always something beneath the black and white text. Whether it's a bad or good song, there's always some sort of hidden message beneath it. People usually show it through lyrics, but after going through music classes, I believe that everything being played in a song illustrates itself. The collaboration of the guitars, basses, drums, trumpets, saxophones, pianos, and all of the other instruments…it's simply amazing to know that every single of them is unique, but they all share one common thing: they make something beautiful called music.

I opened my eyes when Jake stopped playing. He looked at me with a curious expression on his face and I just smiled warmly at him.

"Jake, that was beautiful," I breathed out. He nodded his head and brought the guitar with him to the couch. He sat down to my right and faced towards me, which made me a little uncomfortable because the only thing that separated the both of us was my guitar.

"Thanks, I guess," he shrugged. "I don't know why I played that song, but when I picked up your guitar, that was the first thing that popped into my head."

"What's it called? It sounds so familiar…" I trailed off.

"It's an old song and I don't quite remember what it's called," he said and scratched his head. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at the guitar, as if asking what it just played.

"Why don't you try playing it? I remember you playing it a long time ago. Maybe it'll just come to you like that," Jake said and snapped his fingers.

"Okay," I said and took the guitar from his hands. Our hands touched and we both looked at each other. His green eyes were peering into my own with the same look of confusion and curiosity he always gives me. I gulped and looked down, turning the guitar around. Jake took a sip of his water and I positioned myself more comfortably to play. I played the first couple of notes, but I kept on messing up so I tried again. When they finally sounded right, I played it a couple of times and I finally realized what the song was. Not realizing what I was doing, I closed my eyes and started singing.

"All I hear is raindrops  
Falling on the rooftop  
Oh baby, tell why'd you have to go?  
'Cause this pain I feel  
It won't go away  
And today  
I'm officially missing you  
I thought that from this heartache  
I could escape  
But I fronted long enough to know  
There ain't no way  
And today  
I'm officially missing you…"

I opened my eyes to see Jake looking at me, looking a little bewildered.

"What?" I asked, laughing slightly. I played with the strings nervously as I looked at Jake, who was looking at me as if he's in a trance.

"You're beautiful," he said breathlessly. I blushed and turned away shyly.

"I mean, the way you played…and your voice…it's just mesmerizing," he said quickly. I looked at him self-consciously and bit my lip.

"Thanks," I said in a small voice, and then I put the guitar on the floor and leaned it against the couch.

"I haven't seen you play like that in years," Jake said randomly and I shrugged.

"I barely have any time to do anything. If I'm not working or being Hannah Montana, I'm with my Dad, Lilly, Oliver, or catching up on sleep," I laughed softly.

"But when I'm finished with…your wedding," I cleared my throat because my voice cracked when I said those last two words. I played with the hem of my dress, feeling sick all of a sudden. I didn't know _why_ exactly I felt sick though. Jake's my friend and we went to dinner as friends and I invited him inside my apartment because we are_friends_.

"I'm going to take some time off from work to do whatever I want and basically just relax. There's going to be a lot of Miley-time, finally!" I raised my hands and smiled in an attempt to be humorous. When I glanced at Jake, he was looking at me indifferently, as if he wasn't listening to a word I was saying. I bit my lip and shifted in my seat. The uncomfortable feeling I had when he was looking at me earlier was slowly returning due to Jake's intense gaze on me.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jake said and shook his head. My mouth dropped open slightly.

"Nothing. Doesn't matter," I said quietly. He just nodded and drummed his fingers on his knee. Once again, an awkward silence hung in the air.

"Remember when you and Mikayla were fighting over me?" Jake asked and I was taken-aback by his question.

"We weren't fighting over _you_," I said and he smiled smugly at me.

"Where are you going with this anyways?" I asked.

"Ah, nothing."

"Tell me!" I whined, pulling on his jacket. I knew that he wouldn't have brought that up if he didn't mean anything by it.

"It's just the look on your face when you found out I was going to be kissing her," he laughed and slapped his knee.

"I didn't…and I_don't_ find it very comical," I said seriously, crossing my arms.

"What's so wrong about her anyways? I never fully understood that." I looked at him as if he just sprouted another head.

How could he _not_ see what's wrong with her?

"Well, Jake, let's just say that _she_ has issues," I said and gave him a look meaning that this conversation was over.

But Jake being Jake, he's not very good at getting hints.

"_Why_, though? I still don't get it."

"Well, it's because she just hates me. That's it! I didn't do anything to her and she just started saying---"

"_Or_ maybe it's because you were jealous because I was kissing her," Jake cut me and I looked at him as if I was just slapped in the face.

"Yes, I already admitted that a long time ago, but that's not why I hate her. And I wasn't jealous that you two were going to be making out…I was jealous because she just got to hang out with you everyday, that's all," I fired hotly at him.

"Uh huh. You were jealous. You want me to go Fergie on you? J-E-A-L---"

"I was not jealous!" I yelled and glared at him.

"---O-U-S!"

"Ugh! You're so childish," I huffed. I crossed my arms and turned the other way, fuming. What _was_ he deal anyways, bringing up Mikayla? Is his purpose in life is to tell me about all the women he's been with? I rolled my eyes.

_Men_.

"I'm sorry," Jake said after his laughter subsided. He tentatively touched my arm and a shiver of pleasure crept down my spine. I turned around and glared at him, trying my best not to smile.

"You're weird, you know that?" I laughed and lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"I wouldn't want to be anything else," he replied with a toothy smile.

"Like the red sucker in a sea of blue lickers?" I said and another smile was slowly creeping onto my face. Jake blinked his eyes and realization eventually dawned on his face.

"Just like the red sucker in a sea of blue lickers," he said softly and smiled slightly.

I held out my hand, and he hesitantly grasped it. Ignoring the buzz that I felt, I shook his hand and then grasped his thumb area. We let go and hit the front and back of our hands together, suddenly bringing back memories of our secret handshake. We clapped our hands once and then we stomped our foot on the floor and clapped our hands again.

If I could recall correctly, we had to do this three times because that was the number of times we caught Lilly and Oliver making out in the school hallway. I laughed at the once-repulsive memory and sped the handshake up. Jake and I were laughing by the time we were on our third and final round. Suddenly, my eyes widened and I turned my head sharply and Jake's lips kissed my cheek.

His lips quickly withdrew itself from my cheek and my face was burning and tingling at the same time. I completely forgot that after the third round, we always gave a quick kiss, symbolizing how the whole handshake was made up in the first place. Apparently, Jake forgot as well because he started clearing his throat and downed the rest of his water in one gulp.

Many thoughts raced through my head all at once and I was confused on what to do. I felt his eyes on the side of my head and turned towards him. He turned his head so fast; I was surprised that it didn't crack.

"I'm feeling a little tired, Jake. It's been a long day," I said, faking a yawn. I really was tired, but my body felt wide-awake.

"Same here," he said and his voice went unnaturally high.

"Same here," he repeated in a manlier tone. I tried not to laugh, so I accidentally snorted instead. Jake looked at me and the next thing we knew, we were both clutching our stomachs from laughter.

"Miley," he said, calming down slightly. "I'm sorry about a while ago."

My laughter lessened and my shoulders were still shaking, but I tried my best to listen to what Jake had to say. After a couple of seconds, I gave out a long sigh.

"I guess I was just used to doing…that every time we did the handshake. So I basically just did it without thinking and again, I'm sorry. I hope things aren't going to be awkward from now on because I really don't want to lose our friendship," he said semi-seriously and I just stared at him.

Oh, yeah.

Things are _totally_ not going to be awkward between us from here on out.

I told him that, except without any deep sarcasm.

"Thanks for hanging out tonight. It really means a lot to me," I said, walking him to the door.

"Don't mention it. It means a lot to me too," he said with a small smile. We stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, not exactly knowing what to do.

"Now this is awkward," Jake said with a laugh. He held out his arms towards me and I hesitantly leaned in towards him. Despite the awkwardness, I can't deny that I felt safe and warm in his arms. His muscular arms embraced me tenderly and he leaned his head on my shoulder. I took a deep breath, getting intoxicated from his sweet smell. I slowly pulled away from him, but the warmth from his embrace still lingered. I wanted him to leave before I did something foolish and regrettable.

"Goodnight, Jake," I said with a smile.

"Goodnight, Miley. See you tomorrow," he said quietly. He walked out the door and I slowly closed it. Before closing it shut, I looked at Jake's retreating form, only to see him looking at the door wistfully. Shaking my head, I closed the door shut and plopped onto my bed with a loud sigh.

"Jake Ryan, what will I do with you?" I asked aloud and rubbed my eyes. I punched my pillow angrily and flipped over to my side.

Jake will be married in a couple of weeks to another woman. I shouldn't even care in the slightest, but I do. I don't understand why and it's pissing me off. Jake was my first love and my first boyfriend, but that was the past.

_I really need a boyfriend,_ I thought sarcastically.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep, wondering why I picked Jake Ryan over Nick Jonas all those years ago.

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**Author's Note: I understand if you're a tad (or really) disappointed because some of you were expecting something big to happen. Hopefully, I satisfied some of you though : )**

**The little music paragraph is all me. Did you know that math, sign language, and music are the three universal languages? **

**Oh! If you are interested in the song, look it up on Youtube. Watching random people playing it on acoustic is just as bombtastic as Tamia singing it herself.**


	12. Yay or Nay

**Author's Note: Happy late Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble : ) **

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**Chapter 12**

After applying some lipgloss, I stepped back and checked myself out in the mirror. I wore a navy blue dress with a bow around my middle, matching heels, and simple jewelry. I ran my hand through my curls and twirled around twice. Once I thought that I looked acceptable, I grabbed my keys, my purse, and my jacket, and dashed out the door.

I arrived in my office about ten minutes later. A note was taped on my door so I grabbed it and put it in my jacket. I unlocked the door and went inside to get a few last minute things before the wedding. When I got all of the files I needed, I took out Miranda's note.

M-butt--- 

_Please print out the names of the companies we are paying. Please go to the hotel and check to see if everything's ready between 8-10. You already know that the wedding starts at 11, so please come about half an hour beforehand. Call if you need anything._

_---M-booty_

I chuckled slightly and glanced at the clock. It was 9:30 A.M., so now would probably be a good time to go to the reception area to make sure that the DJ was there and that the cake was ready. After printing out the names of the companies, I grabbed the paper and hurriedly walked out the door. I didn't make it far out, though, because I collided with a hard body and staggered backwards.

"Jake! What are you doing here?" I asked frantically.

"We have an appointment, remember?" Jake asked slowly and cocked his eyebrow. I hit my forehead, feeling stupid.

"You look great, Miley," he said, but I ignored him.

"Shit. Sorry, but today's the Bloom wedding and…I…do you have anything planned today?" I blabbed.

"Except our appointment, no?" he said. I looked him over and I tried hard not to stare.

"Good. You can come with me, then. Your outfit looks good enough for the wedding, so don't bother going back to your hotel and changing. Don't worry; it'll only be about four hours. Then we'll go to the flower shop and pick out your flowers," I said, walking in a fast pace towards my car. I sighed heavily, thinking about the number of things that I had to accomplish before the end of the day. Jake got in the passenger seat of the car and I pulled out of my parking spot. It would only take me about twenty minutes to get to the hotel, so I popped in an old Paramore CD, which we listened to the entire car ride.

When we got there, I practically jumped out of my car and walked towards the hotel. When I was about to enter, I turned around and saw Jake taking his sweet time walking. I tapped my foot impatiently and felt my anger rising.

"Are you usually this worked up before every wedding?" Jake teased and I was tempted to slap the smirk off of his face.

"Only for the weddings that really matter," I said with a smile and locked my car. I huffed and turned around, only for Jake to grab my elbow and turn me back around.

"What?" I said impatiently. I looked into Jake's eyes and saw hurt in them. I didn't mean to hurt him, but he must have taken my sarcastic comment seriously. My eyes softened immediately and I suddenly had the urge to hug him.

"Nothing," he whispered and let me go. Shaking my head, I walked hurriedly towards the hotel's reception room. I have no time to be feeling sorry for my actions towards Jake at the moment. This could wait until later, and then I could apologize.

I walked towards the DJ, who was wearing a black dress shirt with a silver west with music notes on them. I smiled at him and he waved.

"Are you all ready with the music, Mr.…?"

"Johnson. But you can call me Sam," he said.

"Sam, don't forget that for the father-daughter dance, change it to Disk 2 and…" I trailed off, giving him directions on how the music was supposed to be done.

"Wow," he said, clearly impressed. "You seem to know a lot about this. Have you ever been the music business?"

"I know a thing or two about it, yeah," I said with a secretive smile. I excused myself and went to the kitchen.

"Ah, you cannot do zis without doing zat! Ay, Frances, don't you remember anyzing zat I told you?" I heard Tony yell.

"Don't worry, Frances, Tony's usually like that before every wedding. If you give him a mint, then he'll calm down a little," I joked, surprising both of them.

"Miss Miley!" Tony exclaimed and gave me a big hug. "I didn't know you were on zis wedding too! What's next? Ze Dakota Fanning wedding?"

"Hi, Tony, Frances," I giggled and waved at Frances, who laughed and waved back before going back to making last minute adjustments on the bride and groom figurines.

"Ah, you know me to well," Tony said and let go of me. He looked at me with a look in his eyes and I shifted my feet.

"What?" I asked unsurely.

"You look beautiful, Miss Miley," Tony said with a fatherly look in his eyes.

"Thank you," I said, blushing and walked towards Frances self-consciously.

"I just wanted to make sure that the cake was ready. So far, it looks so disgustingly good," I commented, feeling my stomach rumble.

"Here you go," Frances said, handing me a plate of apple pie. I widened my eyes, pushing the plate away from me.

"No, it's okay, you guys. That's for the guests, not me," I said even though the apple pie looked and smelled appetizing.

"No, eat zit or else you will never hear from us again," Tony warned. I greedily grabbed back the plate and took a bite out of it.

"I must admit, this must be your finest dish, yet," I exclaimed. My mouth was watering for more of the pie after my first swallow. Tony and Frances just thanked me and went back to their work.

"So, whatever happened to zat Jake Ryan?" Tony asked conversationally. I stopped mid-bite and looked at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Are you still on ze wedding? After hearing you ramble on zen on zen on about zat boy, I zought zat you would have given zit to zomeone else."

"No, I'm still doing it," I sighed sadly.

"Miley," Frances said. I looked up to see him walking towards him.

"If you can't do it, just admit it. You don't _have_ to do every wedding that is handed down to you," Frances said. I blinked at him and then I felt anger soaring through my veins. Frances immediately stepped back and he looked so scared that he could pee in his pants.

"What is everyone's deal? I _can_ do this! I am _not_ having a hard time with this wedding and we are friends. _Friends_. Nothing attached, whatsoever. I am _over_ Jake Ryan and I have been for a long time. Just because he's back, doesn't mean that anything's going to change. I moved on with my life and he obviously moved on with his. In fact, he even has a fucking fiancé. It's just a coincidence that we ended up in this damn situation," I yelled angrily. I ran my hand through my hair and I suddenly felt drained from frustration. I looked at Frances, who looked as if he got caught red-handed stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.

"I'm sorry," I sighed, feeling bad for yelling like that. "It's just that---"

"What's all the yelling about?" We all turned around to see Jake peeking his head through the door. I started breathing heavily and slowly counted to ten in my head.

"Well, speak of the devil," I said.

"Zat's…zat's…JAKE RYAN! Ay, Mummy! I told you I'd meet him!" Tony screamed and looked towards the ceiling. He ran towards Jake, squealing like a twelve-year old fan girl.

"Big fan, big fan, Mr. Ryan," Tony gushed and eagerly shook his hand. Jake glanced towards me and I just shrugged in response.

"Jake, Tony. Tony, you obviously know Jake. Jake, that's Frances over there. They're in charge of making your cake too," I said. Frances waved at Jake, who waved back at him with the hand that wasn't being shaken by Tony.

"Really? Oh, so you are the two men that Miley's been telling us about. I'm sure that your cakes taste as delicious as she describes them," Jake said. Tony looked as if he almost peed in his pants, which made his squeeze Jake's hand even harder.

"Did you hear zat, Frances? He loves me!" Tony said and punched Jake's shoulder.

"I'll be right back. Don't you go anywhere," he pointed at Jake, who smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up. Tony walked away, humming happily with a little bounce in his step. Jake remained in his spot, clutching his aching shoulder tenderly.

"Is he usually like that around celebrities?" Jake asked when Tony left.

"Not really. He'd usually act more professionally towards people like you," Frances said.

"People like…me?" Jake asked, looking as if he doesn't know how to feel about that statement.

"What he means is," I cut in before Frances opened his mouth. "Is that…uh, well…Tony's kind of obsessed with you. Not in _that_ way, but he really admires your work and accomplishments. He's watched every single episode of Zombie High and knows them by heart."

"Oh," was all that Jake replied.

"Well, Frances, tell Tony that we'll be right back because we have to go to the wedding to help Miranda out. Then we have to order flowers for _his_ wedding," I said and gave Frances a hug.

"Nice meeting you, Mr. Ryan. Bye, Miley!" Frances waved goodbye and we walked out of the hotel and into the car. We were silent all the way to the church, which I preferred rather than talking about what just happened.

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"I think that these flowers would look great for the centerpieces. What do you think Jake?" I asked, holding out a bunch of colorful hydrangeas. Jake took it from my hands and stared at it with a curiously saddened expression on his face, giving me a sense of déjà vu from the wedding.

When the Bloom wedding started, Jake and I stood together behind the pews. Miranda sat in the back pew and her legs were shaking nervously, much to the annoyance of the people who sat on the same pew. Jake and I watched the wedding wordlessly and I occasionally glanced at him. When the bridge and groom were saying the vows, I boldly reached for Jake's hand and gave it a little squeeze. He jumped at the contact, but squeezed my hand back with a small smile on his face.

"That's going to be you in less than two weeks, you know," I whispered. The smile on his face disappeared and he let go of my hand immediately. He looked back and forth between the altar and me with the same saddened expression that he is currently doing.

After the wedding, we skipped the reception and we walked towards this local flower shop, where we are currently contemplating on what flowers would look best for the Ryan-Brewart wedding.

"These are fine, but I think that Shirley would want them in pink and blue," he said and placed the flowers back into the water vase. I walked towards the pink and blue hydrangeas and examined them together. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked around the shop. I gathered a couple of random flowers and mixed them into the bunch in my hand. I smiled proudly at the combination and rushed towards Jake, who was staring at the white daisies wistfully.

"Hey," I said softly and put my hand on his arm. "Are you okay? You've been kind of…off today. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine," Jake said cheerfully; though we both knew that he was anything far from cheerful.

"Well, if you say so," I said. I raised my eyebrow and pursed my lips, but I did not want to anger him by pushing it.

"What do you think of this arrangement? It's not quite what Shirley wanted, but I think that it looks better compared to a bunch of the same flowers." I held out the bunch to him and he studied it, touching each petal with extreme care.

"I think that it looks great. I'm sure that Shirley will agree too, but it's missing something…" he said and trailed off. He walked around the flower shop, getting random flowers and putting it in front of him to imagine what it would look like in the bunch. I followed him silently so that I wouldn't bother his concentration. After about half an hour of searching for the flower that he wanted, Jake snapped his fingers and ran towards the back of the shop.

When I got there, Jake was looking up and down through a wall of roses. He looked through them up and down and he crouched down towards the red ones. He delicately fingered the petals of each and every one until he picked out one of the most beautiful red roses I have ever seen. He looked back and forth from the bouquet in my hands and the rose and he smiled at me.

"Found it," he said, raising the flower.

Once again, I was filled with a sense of déjà vu when Jake was looking at me. He was down on one knee with a red rose in his hand. The only things missing were his tux and his intention of giving that flower to me in hopes of winning me back.

I shook my head and blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to get rid of the memory.

"Let me see," I said. I bent down to his level and carefully examined the rose in my hand.

"It's beautiful. I'm sure Shirley will not disagree at all," I said sadly. I felt a warm hand cup my cheek softly and the owner's thumb rubbing it gently. I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch, wanting more. I opened them and looked into Jake's green eyes and my breath got caught in my throat. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face, which made my fingers buzz with excitement.

"Jake," I mouthed, for no words could be said because my tongue was dry. I wanted to yell at him to stop doing whatever he was doing to me because he was making me weak and vulnerable. At the same time, I'm doing nothing to stop him and I feel foolish for permitting him to do these things to me.

Jake shushed me by putting his finger on my lips and my eyes widened slightly. He took his finger away and he traced the top of my lip, gazing at it curiously. He looked back into my eyes and I felt my face turning red in embarrassment. I bit my bottom lip nervously, which averted his attention back to them. He leaned in slightly and I closed my eyes and followed suit.

"Mr. Ryan! I have zis poster of you and I have wanted your autograph for years!"

The voice forced my eyes opened and I fell to my side in shock. My head hit the floor, which was wet from the water from the plants. I grumbled and I pulled myself up using one of the shelves on the wall. I looked at Jake from the corner of my eye and he was looking at Tony with a troubled and amused expression on his face. I also looked at Tony and I almost laughed when I saw his attire. He was wearing a Zombie High shirt, shoes, and hat; he was waving his arms up and down with a poster and a marker in either of his hands.

"I went home and brought me favorite collection zings from ze Zombie High show. You see? You see? Frances said zat you would be here, picking out ze beautiful flowers. But…uh…waz I interrupting something?" Tony asked, looking back and forth between the two of us.

"No, Tony. You weren't interrupting _anything_. I'll go order the flowers, while you do your…thing," I said and practically sprinted towards the order forms.

I don't know what I hated more: the fact that I didn't kiss Jake or the fact that I almost kissed Jake…again.

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**Author's Note: Please review. It sounded much better in my head, so typing this was kind of hard. The Nick Jonas thing from the last chapter does not really mean anything. It was just an attempt to end lightly. This only has about sixchapters left to go and then it's over : ( But fear not! I have a new Hannah Montana story called Optional, so please read and review that one. Thanks to everyone that reviews and is being patient with my updates!  
**


	13. It's Not Over

Author's Note: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while! Again, there are so many things going on all at the same time. Thanks to Xx Tohru xXx Seraphina xX for being my 100th reviewer. For a prize, I'll either update later tonight or tomorrow!

Hope you enjoy this chapter : )

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Chapter 13 

"Here's your Loco Hot Cocoa with extra marshmallows by Robbie Ray Stewart." I looked up and smiled at my dad and eagerly grabbed the mug from his hands. I took a deep breath and the smell of the hot chocolate instantly warmed my body. I took a small sip of the drink and closed my eyes in satisfaction.

"Thanks, Daddy. Every time I drink this, I feel as if I'm drinking it for the first time. I'm serious, this stuff is good," I said and licked the whipped cream from my lips.

"Thanks, darling," my dad said and ran his hand through my hair affectionately. He grabbed his mug and sat down next to me on the couch. I placed my feet on his lap and he draped a blanket over us.

"So how's work?" he asked.

"It's fine," I said a little too cheerfully. Thankfully, he didn't notice.

"How are the clients? I heard that you worked on the Bloom wedding," he said.

"Not really. This guy named Drew was assigned it, but he had other things to do so Miranda was given the job. She just asked me to help her, so I did. I didn't do much, though, because she pretty much took care of the tasks that _she_ assigned me."

"Miranda? I love that girl!" he exclaimed and I gave him a look.

"That's because she's the only one that laughs at your jokes, Dad…besides the people who feel sorry for you."

"Whatever you think, Miles. You're just in denial, that's all," he said and patted my head like a three year old. I gasped and swatted his hand away, which made him laugh. After he calmed down, we sipped our hot chocolate in silence.

"Are Lilly and Oliver back from Hawaii?"

"Yes. They got back last week."

"Did they get you anything?"

"Yeah. Lilly got me the cutest necklace _ever_ and Oliver got me sand and a rock. They dropped it off at my place earlier. Surprisingly, she also got Miranda something too."

"What did they get her?"

"Spongebob," I said and we both laughed.

"Oh! I never asked, how is Miranda?" my dad asked and placed his mug on the table.

What is this? Twenty questions?

"She's…good," I said nervously.

"Is she working? Because you would usually hang out with her rather than your old man." I laughed and lightly punched him on the shoulder.

"Well, yeah, she's actually working right now. She's helping J---…I mean, one of my clients right now. She's helping them pick out their tuxes and dresses for their wedding. She knows more about that kind of stuff that I do, so I gave her their leashes for the day."

"Oh, really? Why did you give---"

"May I have some more hot chocolate please? You know me…can't get enough of this," I said enthusiastically and rubbed my stomach. Dad gave me a look and then got up and re-filled my mug. I sighed in relief, wondering what would have happened if he finished that sentence.

"So how's Lilly?" he asked and sat back down. I muttered thanks and took a huge gulp of the steaming liquid.

"She's great."

"Have you talked to her recently?"

"Yes, in fact---"

"How about Oliver?"

"Fine…"

"Is he the same?"

"Yes, but what I'm trying to tell you---"

"Jake?"

"Okay…wait. What?" I stuttered and almost choked on my drink.

"You heard me. Jake. Jake Ryan. How is he?" he asked and stretched his hands behind his back, staring at me with a calm look on his face. All I could do is stare at him with my mouth hanging open.

"Daddy who turned loco from his own hot cocoa say what?" I managed to say.

"It's all over the news. Apparently his _fiancé_ was in New York recently and she was overheard talking about it. Well…more like bragging about it while knowing that the paparazzi were around. Jake's on the front page and it says _almost_ everything I need to know," he looked at me and I averted my gaze towards my mug.

"There's nothing much to say, is there?" I sighed.

"Is that why you were crying over your mother's grave a couple of weeks ago? It said on the paper that the wedding was going to be at that resort a couple of blocks away from there. Are you planning his wedding?" he asked concernedly and pulled me into his arms.

"That's basically it," I sighed once again and wrapped one arm around his waist.

"The first time he went to the concert, you didn't seem as surprised as I was to see him. Who would have thought that Jake was engaged to that crazy woman that I met? He never told me that he was engaged to her! Tell me, Miles, are you over this boy?" I fidgeted a little in my seat and removed my arm from his waist and crossed them. I felt uncomfortable talking about my feelings over Jake with my dad, even though I could talk to him about anything.

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed and waved a hand at him. "Daddy, I have _been_ over him for the past couple of years. Jake is nothing more than my client and I am nothing more than his wedding planner. Besides, the closest we'll ever be is being friends---which we are---and we are planning on keeping it that way."

The more I said the words, the more disbelieving I sounded. I frowned and ran a hand through my hair. What were we, really? Friends? Acquaintances? And did I really want to keep it that way for the rest of my life? Honestly, I don't think that I can fully move on with the rest of my life with him back in the picture. Everywhere I go, I see him either physically or mentally.

I missed having a close relationship with him (admittedly, both as a friend _and_ a girlfriend). I missed the way we would tease and joke around with each other, earning stares from people around us. I missed the way we would drive down the street with the top down and screaming our lungs out to the music. I missed the way we could sit in front of the television for four hours and not say a word. I missed how the little things he did for me made me want to jump into his arms and kiss him senseless. I remembered the warmth I felt when he would grab onto my hand and rub comforting circles with his thumb. I remembered the way he ran his hands through my hair and whispered in my ear when I cried. I remembered the time when---

I paused mid-thought and groaned, realizing that I have to accept that I am not over him.

_I, Miley Stewart, am still in love with Jake Ryan_, I thought in agony.

That thought made me want to punch Jake in the face and make sure that he never has kids with Shirley.

"Whatever you say, darling…whatever you say…" Dad said and I blinked my eyes at him, forgetting that he was there for a couple of minutes. We sat there for a couple of minutes, both drinking our hot chocolate in silence.

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**Author's Note: I know, I know. It wasn't my best chapter, but I felt that there should be a chapter based on Miley confirming her feelings.**

**I know that many of you are constantly sending me messages whether or not I'm going to stop writing, but that is not true. I'm just...delayed, that's all. I'm hoping to finish this story before mid-February.  
**


	14. Unbelievable

**Author's Note: I think that most of you will be satisfied with this chapter : ) **

**Merry Christmas/Happy Kwanzaa/Happy Hanukkah/Happy whatever you celebrate!**

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**Chapter 14**

"Okay people! Assume your positions! We are going to practice the walk! Miranda, I want you to make sure that everyone is in the correct order. Nancy, can you please get Mrs. Robinson some water? She said she's feeling a little sick. Jake, please go up near the altar," I said and my voice shook a little as our eyes made contact. I turned away and walked around a little, looking for Shirley.

"Now, Shirley---Shirley, is all of this really necessary?" I asked and pointed my hands up and down her outfit. Shirley smiled happily and twirled around a couple of times, showing off her long bright pink dress. It went all the way down to her ankles, but the dress itself made you wonder if it was from Victoria's Secret or straight out of Britney Spears's closet (it's not like there's a difference anyways). I held back a grimace when she passed me and walked towards the back of the line.

"Okay. Everybody listen up!" I yelled. "Since the band isn't here to sing yet, I'll sing for now. Honey," I spoke softly to a stricken-faced little girl.

"After the music starts and when all the people stand up, count to ten slowly and start walking slowly all the way down. Can you do that for me, sweetie?" I asked kindly and her face softened.

"Yes, I can. I'm a big girl!" she said proudly and I laughed.

"Yes, you are. Everyone else, once she starts walking, you have to step up and wait for your turn. You may start walking until the people in front of you pass the third pew. Is everyone ready? Okay," I said and shook myself a bit. I cleared my throat and took many deep breaths. I sang a low melody and I looked at the flower girl. She had an extremely determined look on her face while she was mouthing to ten. Then she started to walk slowly and pretend to throw flowers on the floor. She smiled brightly and I winked at her, which made her smile wider. Everyone else followed her and soon everyone was in their seats except for the bride. I cued for the bride to come in and she walked confidently towards Jake. I glanced at Jake and I wanted to smack his head. I snapped my fingers loudly, making him gaze away from his fingernails.

When Shirley was halfway down the aisle, I glanced back at Jake and my stomach dropped when I saw him smiling at her with love in his eyes. He didn't seem interested a couple of seconds ago, but I guess that what they have is real.

My voice cracked, so I stopped singing and cleared my throat. I didn't bother to continue because she was almost there. I blinked back tears as I saw him kiss her cheek and grab her hand as they walked up to the altar. Flashes of the future Jake and Shirley went through my mind and I felt like vomiting.

"Miley!" I looked up to see Jake and Shirley both looking at me suspiciously.

"Are you okay?" Miranda asked and rubbed my back.

"I'm fine. I just didn't get enough sleep the night before. For all I know, I'm sleep-walking and talking," I joked and Miranda patted my back one more time before she left, which made me feel sick all over again (not physically). Why am I feeling this way? I didn't lie to Miranda when I said that I didn't get enough sleep. I stayed up all night thinking of Jake, and when I finally got to sleep, all I dreamt of was Jake.

"Let's take it from the top. One more time, then we can have dinner," I yelled and started singing again. I stopped the moment the flower girl past the third pew and motioned for everyone to keep on walking. I rushed over to the coffee table and filled myself a cup. I coughed when the burning liquid went down my throat and fanned my tongue.

"Hot, hot, hot," I gasped. After a couple of minutes of panting, I took a smaller sip and grinned in satisfaction.

"Hey, Miley." I turned around and smiled at the handsome man in front of me.

"Hi, Jake. Good job on…standing there?" I said lamely and we both laughed. I averted my eyes to the floor as I took another sip of my coffee.

"Yes, I know. You could already call me a professional," he joked and I quickly glanced into his laughing eyes. I felt my cheeks burning up and I felt myself shying away from him. I nervously shifted the weight between my feet as I finished up the rest of my coffee. I felt much more energized and I swiftly tossed the cup into the trashcan.

"You could already call _me_ professional," I mimicked, motioning towards the trashcan. Jake simply smiled at me and I suddenly had the urge to fan myself.

"I'm hungry," Jake said randomly and I checked my watch.

"That's because it's time for dinner," I said and he patted his stomach.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" he exclaimed and raised a fist in the air before walking away. I giggled and stared at his retreating back, momentarily forgetting what I was supposed to be doing. After blinking the imaginary thoughts out of my mind, I yelled at everyone that it was time to eat dinner and meet at the restaurant. It took half an hour to give everyone directions and to get everyone out of the Church. I sighed heavily and quickly scanned the place to see if anyone left any of their personal belongings. Thankfully, the only things left behind were a teddy bear, a small bottle of perfume and a signed unreadable note. If anything expensive was left on the floor, then that wouldn't be good.

I walked out the side door and pressed the car key to unlock my car. Once I got there, my mouth opened as I saw a lone figure leaning against the lamppost right across from it.

"Jake? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Smoking and doing drugs. You know, the usual," he said and took his hands out of his pockets.

"Haha, very funny," I said sarcastically. "But seriously, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be riding with Shirley?"

Jake stretched his arms and stopped leaning on my car. "Yeah, but there was no room left in her friend's car. She offered to give up her seat and stay with me---"

"Wow. That's a shocker," I muttered.

"---but I insisted that she stayed in the car. I was going to call a taxi, but I saw your car. So, I decided to wait for you."

"What if I don't have any room in _my_ car?" I asked and crossed my arms.

"What the…_Miley_," he pouted and clasped his hands together, making a puppy-dog face. I laughed at his face and smacked his arm playfully.

"Okay, you big baby. I'm sure that you have your big boy pants on so that you can get in the car by yourself?" I cooed and pretended to pinch his cheeks.

"I don't know…what if I don't? Will you carry me?" he said and winked at me with laughter in his eyes.

"Mr. Ryan, were you flirting with me?" I gasped and put my hand on my mouth. I tried hard not to laugh when he looked at me with wide eyes.

"I don't know what you are talking about. After all, I am a 'big baby' and I don't know any better," he said innocently.

"Whatever. I'm not carrying you," I giggled and he pouted sadly.

"Meanie-head," he muttered and crossed his arms. I giggled again and gave him a big hug.

"Do you feel all better now?" I asked and he hugged back tightly. I sighed contentedly, loving the way his strong arms instantly warmed me up.

"Kind of," he whispered into my hair, which sent shivers down my spine.

"I may be a meanie head, but I still love you," I said. I felt Jake's arms tense and I felt his heart beat faster through our hug. I groaned silently and I wanted to bang my head against the wall when I realized what I just said. I slowly backed away from Jake and took a few calming breaths. I hastily walked towards the left side of my car and Jake silently followed suit on the right side. I made a move to open the door, but then I stopped.

"Jake, I…" I began, but I didn't know how to explain it. I hate those moments because you end up looking like a fool in front of someone.

"We should go before they wonder what happened to us," he said seriously and I nodded my head. We got in the car and I slowly started to pull out of the parking lot and into the open road.

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"So, what took you so long? You never answered my question," Miranda said, tugging at the sleeve of my sweater.

"I had to check around the place to make sure that nothing was left behind," I said and took another bite of my salmon.

"Anything interesting?" she said and picked at her salad.

"Not really. All I found was perfume, a teddy bear, and some note. Thanks for reminding me or else I would have taken them home," I said and patted her back.

"Wait. A note? Ooh, does it have anything juicy written in it?" Miranda asked and grabbed my purse.

"I don't know. I can't read it because the handwriting is horrible."

"Let me see. Do you have it? Maybe it'll have a name on it or something," she said eagerly. I rolled my eyes at her and looked through my purse before taking out the crumpled note.

"It says…Shir…Shir…Shirley…meet…me…after…love…and that's all I can read," Miranda sighed and handed the note back to me.

"I'll just give it to Jake later. He probably sent her that note or something," I said nonchalantly and put it in my pocket.

"Good idea. Speaking of Jake, why was he late?" Miranda asked coyly and I turned the other way.

"I don't know," I said quickly. I silently cursed myself and plastered a fake smile on my face.

"Do you like my dress? Lilly gave it to me for my birthday last year."

"Really? How cute---don't change the subject," she said seriously and I was fascinated how quickly she changed her tone of voice.

"Why did Jake come exactly a minute and a half right after you walked through the door?" she asked and peered directly into my eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just gave him a ride from the Church, that's all," I said defensively.

"A ride? Oh, come_on_, Miley. Arriving late and being alone in the same car with your ex-soul mate isn't _just_ a 'ride.' Something obviously happened and you don't want to tell me," Miranda huffed. I glared at her and took a big gulp out of my wine.

"He isn't my---"

"May I have everyone's attention please?" Jake said and stood up, immediately shutting me up. I glared hatefully at Miranda, who smiled innocently back at me. We turned our attention towards Jake when he cleared his throat. He glanced unsurely at Shirley, who took his hand in hers and nodded at him. He grinned at her before turning towards the crowd and lifting his glass of wine in the air.

"Thank you for coming tonight. Shirley and I are very excited to have all of you here to witness our celebration of Holy Matrimony…"

"Witness our celebration of Holy Matrimony? What the? Who says that these days? It sounds as if someone wrote it for them," Miranda whispered to me and I held back a laugh.

"…to our Mothers and Fathers; if it wasn't for you, we would obviously not be here today. We love you so much and thank you for everything you have done for us…"

"Mothers and Fathers?" Miranda asked and I shushed her. Sometimes she could be extremely annoying.

"…and lastly, thank you, Miley, our wedding planner," Jake said and tilted his glass in my direction, which made my heart jump when our eyes made contact. I saw Shirley tug at his hand, but he ignored her and continued talking.

"Thank you for helping us. You are such a great _friend_ and…just…thanks. Cheers!" he finished awkwardly. I tapped glasses with Miranda and a few other random people before chugging down the remains of the wine. Without thinking, I grabbed the bottle and began taking several gulps from the mouth.

"Miley…_Miley_, stop it! Give me that!" Miranda said and grabbed the bottle from my hands.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked and I shrugged, pretending not to care. On the contrary, I wanted to tell her to leave me alone and flip her off; but I couldn't do that without Miranda probing me with questions that would obviously concern Jake.

"I've had a long day. I was too lazy to pour myself a drink," I said and sat back down. I felt my phone vibrate in my bag and saw that I received a text from Lilly.

"Don't you think that other people would want to drink too?" she said. I glanced at her and she was trying to look mad at me, but I knew that she was concerned.

"I'm paying for it anyways, so I can do whatever I want," I said and Miranda gave me an offended look.

"Okay…" Miranda said and I gave her an apologetic look.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? There's just a lot going on and I'm under a lot of stress," I sighed.

"I know and it's fine. I understand what you're going through. I once had a boyfriend and---"

"I am_ not_ talking about Jake," I said and put a finger on her lips.

"Duh hewl you awren't!" she said and took my finger away from her mouth. "Look, Miley. I know that you still like---hell, maybe even _love_ him. He obviously loves you too---I can see it from the way he looks at you. I may act immature sometimes, but I'm not stupid. Miley, he's practically a _free_ single man…at least for two more days. You better do something about it before it's too late. If I were you, I'd totally get him back!" I was seething, pushing aside the fact that everything that Miranda was saying was true.

"Miranda, I am not---"

"In love with him, blah blah blah. Bullshit. Yes, you are. Why are you being so damn stubborn?" she accused me and poked my shoulder.

"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM!" I screamed and the people around me were silent. I felt myself getting redder and redder by the millisecond when I felt their eyes on me. After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, they began whispering to each other. I glared at Miranda before storming towards Shirley.

"Shirley," I tapped her on the shoulder harshly. She turned around slowly and cocked her hand on her hip.

"Yes?" she asked, clearly annoyed. I apologized and softened the expression on my face.

"You left this at the Church," I said and took the note out of my pocket and handed it to her. She looked surprised when she read it, but then it was gone the instant she smiled at me.

"Thanks, Miley. Don't tell anyone about it, okay?" she whispered. I nodded slowly and gave her a look, but she turned back around and talked to her manager. I rolled my eyes when Shirley's manager kept on looking back and forth between Shirley and me; obviously talking about me. I went out the back door of the restaurant and blinked a couple of times, adjusting to the darkness.

I sighed heavily and I held back tears the moment I leaned on the dirty wall. There was a single lamppost that shone dimly in front of me and I was glad that the smoking employee didn't see me.

"Long time no see, Miley," someone said and I jumped slightly. I slowly turned my head towards my right and smiled sadly at the figure that was approaching.

"Hello, Mrs. Ryan. I could say the same for you," I said and Mrs. Ryan leaned next to me on the wall.

"How are you? I haven't heard from you in a while. Jake never told me that you were his wedding planner, you know. I would've come up to you during the rehearsal, but you were too busy," she said and took a sip out of the bottle of water she was holding.

"I'm good, I guess. Jake hasn't mentioned me at all to a lot of people, but I guess that I could say the say for me. I didn't tell Lilly and Oliver until we accidentally saw each other at a restaurant," I chuckled slightly.

"No doubt, it is kind of scandalous to find yourself planning your ex-boyfriend's wedding after not seeing each other in a few years," I said and laughed a little louder, finding the entire situation sadly comical.

"Yes, it is. Oh, Miley. I don't like this Shirley girl," Mrs. Ryan sighed and I looked at her in surprise.

"Who doesn't?" I said slowly and tapped my fingers against my leg.

"Apparently Jake…somewhat."

"Somewhat?"

"Yes, somewhat. No, he never said that, but I could tell; I'm his mother. As a mom, you know your children more than they know themselves. I asked him about it, you know. I asked him if he was making the right choice. And you know what he said?"

"What?" I asked, although I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to know the answer.

"He said…'I have to, Mom. I have to.' I don't exactly understand what he means by that, so all I could say is 'somewhat.'" I looked at the aged woman before me and saw that she was smiling slightly. She smiled that mysterious smile that she often used every time she saw Jake and I together. Sometimes I hated it, but I couldn't help but feel entranced by it.

"I miss you, you know. I know that John misses you too, especially your pies. He may not say it, but every month he would always look in the fridge and sigh," she chuckled and I slowly began to smile.

"I missed you too, Mrs. Ryan. I especially miss seeing Mr. Ryan's face after he takes his first bite," I said truthfully and decided to send them a pie when I have the time.

"What have I told you all those years ago? I told you to call me Anne and to call Mr. Ryan, John," she insisted and affectionately placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to remember next time," I said and Mrs. Ryan smiled mysteriously again. Dad told me to always call your non-elders by Mr. or Mrs. because it's the polite thing to do.

"You know what?" Mrs. Ryan said after a long comfortable silence.

"What?" I asked softly.

"All those years ago, I thought that you would end up marrying my son. Lord knows that I still wish that would happen," she said and finished the rest of her bottled water. We stayed there the rest of the night, not saying a single word to each other. The smell of smoke was hanging in the air and the sounds of the crickets chirping were heard. Trash was spread around the floor and the slight breeze cooled down the burning feeling I had in the pit of my stomach.

"I still wish you'd be marrying my son," Mrs. Ryan said once more before releasing her hand from my shoulder and going back inside the restaurant.

"Wishes are for dreamers; this is reality," I said quietly. I leaned off of the wall and walked back into the party, putting a fake smile on my face and trying to ignore the concerned looks Jake and Miranda were sending me.

* * *

**Author's Note: If you liked this chapter, wait until the next one! Haha ; ) This will most likely be the last chapter of the year, but who knows? Thanks to all of the reviewers! You all rock! **


	15. Temperamental

Author's Note: First of all, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in exactly a month! I've actually had a lot of time, but every time I wrote this, it did not feel right. So obviously I would've updated this weeks ago, but I didn't think that a lot of people would have be fully satisfied with it.

Secondly, I hope that everyone is having a terrific 2008! So far, everything is absolutely great! I am going to the Jonas Brothers concert at the LA Gibson Amphitheater on February 3rd! I was beyond happy when they showed up at the box office and it seriously was the best surprise ever. : )

If you don't remember what happened in the last chapter, here's a recap: it's Jake's and Shirley's wedding rehersal dinner and Miley has a talk with Jake's mother.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is already copyrighted.

* * *

Chapter 15

Today was the day before the Ryan-Brewart wedding and I felt like strangling the nearest human being next to me, who was, unfortunately, Shirley. I would've strangled her, but I don't want to lose my job and be filed for a restraining order.

"So are you both excited for one of the biggest days of your life?" I said with a fake smile on my face. I lead both Jake and Shirley to their seats and sat down on my desk chair.

"Very excited," Shirley sighed dreamily and winked at Jake, who reddened in reply. I wanted to scream at the sudden mental image that popped in my head. Instead, I took several large gulps of water until I felt my body cool down.

"So…uh…yeah. We don't have anything else left to talk about. It's company policy that we must have a meeting before the day of the wedding to talk about any last minute arrangements that you need to fulfill. That, and Magwood wanted to drop by and try to get an invitation to your wedding," I said and we all laughed.

"Don't worry about it, Miley. I don't think that we're going to---"

"---exclude her! Jake, honey," Shirley purred and ran a finger up and down his arm. Jake looked a little pissed off at her interruption, but he let her go on.

"This is the biggest day of my life. The more people come to celebrate our marriage, the better and happier it will be," she said and Jake reluctantly sighed.

"Whatever," he said glumly. Shirley happily kissed him on the cheek, totally oblivious to Jake's tone of voice. "Oh, and we don't need anything else altered or added. Everything's going to be perfect! You'll be there too, right?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. That, and I need to be there or else I'm not doing my job," I said and wanted to slap the smirk off of her face.

"That's settled then! I'll see you at the Bachelorette party tonight?" Shirley got up and straightened her sweater.

"Again, I wouldn't miss it for the world," I said cheerfully. I stuck my tongue out at her when she turned around and went out the door with Jake following behind her.

"Bye Jake!" I waved, surprising both him and myself. Jake waved back and gave me a small smile before turning back around and becoming a victim to Magwood's death hug.

"Tonight should be interesting," I said and sat back down on my chair. I didn't want to go to the Bachelorette party tonight, but I told Shirley I would. I don't want to get wasted the day before one of the biggest weddings I've ever planned in my life.

Speaking of weddings, what am I going to do tomorrow? I don't want to see Jake getting married to Shirley, but that's out of my hands. Even though he's marrying the biggest bitch in the world, I have to stand in the crowd with a huge smile on my face and pretend to be happy for them.

I don't even understand why they are together. I mean…they have absolutely_nothing_ in common. Jake is nice, understanding, and lovable. Shirley is bitchy, acts like she has her period every day, and she treats people like dirt. Sure, they both act, but Jake acts because he loves it. I bet that the only reason why Shirley acts is because she looks the part.

I glanced at the clock and quickly threw all of my belongings into my purse. There were four hours left until the party started, and I wanted to relax and take a nap. When I got into my car, I turned the radio on and nodded my head to the beat of the fast-paced songs. The next thing I knew, I was parking in front of my apartment. I unlocked the door and was greeted with the sweet smell of vanilla. With a happy sigh, I plopped onto my bed sleepily, before setting my alarm to wake me up in two hours.

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I examined myself in the mirror and smiled slightly, satisfied with my appearance. I wore one of my green dresses, which ended right below my knees. I wore minimal make-up and peep-toe black heels. To finish the look off, I wore glittery gold earrings and used one of my Hannah Montana purses.

I put on my jacket, grabbed my car keys and went out the door. After a couple minutes of driving, I parked in the parking lot and sighed as I got out of the car. The party was at a popular club called Dizz and many celebrities were spotted here at night. Jake and Shirley were very strict on who was attending, so I had to show my invitation and I.D. to one of the officers.

"You may pass," he said and pointed downwards. I thanked him and went downstairs. Shirley obviously took the bottom part of the club and Jake took the top part of the club, which didn't surprise me because Jake was claustrophobic sometimes. I've been to Dizz before, but I've never been down here because I heard that the craziest stuff happens in here.

When I opened the door, the putrid smell of alcohol and expensive perfume filled the air. I twitched my nose in distaste and moved my way through the crowd, looking for a familiar face.

"Miley? Miley Stewart? Is that you?"

I turned around and a woman was standing right behind me with a drink in her hand. Her eyes glanced at what I was wearing and she scrunched up her nose with slight disgust. She walked as if she owned the place and she faintly reminded me of Amber and Ashley back in high school.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" I asked, trying my best not to sound too rude.

"I can't believe you don't remember me. It's me! Denise! Don't you recognize me?" Denise said and took a swig of her drink. I squinted my eyes through the darkness and I gasped softly when I saw the familiar L-shaped marking on her forehead.

"Denise! My…it's been so long," I said with fake enthusiasm. "I haven't seen you since you were a freshman when I was a senior in high school. How do you know Shirley?"

"We were lab partners in middle school. I don't know why she invited me though, because I haven't spoken to her in years," she said and hiccupped.

"Doesn't matter anyways. I mean, who would pass up a celebrity wedding _and_ free food? Anyways, I'll catch up with you later. I need to re-fill…after all, this is only my fourth drink," she said and walked off, shouldering me in the process. I glared at her as she walked towards the bartender and flirtatiously asked him to re-fill her drink. My gaze flew to the girl next to her and sighed with relief when I recognized someone I knew.

"Hey, Shirley," I said and sat down on the stool next to her. Shirley raised her glass mutely and did not turn her attention away from the dance floor.

I ordered a glass of water and then asked Shirley if she was nervous about tomorrow. She merely chuckled and took several large gulps of her drink.

"I'm getting married tomorrow to Jake Ryan. Who _wouldn't_ be nervous?" she said and looked at her feet sadly.

"I mean…it's great and all that I'm marrying him. It's just that I'm going to miss being able to do things that non-married people do… Did I just say that out loud?" she asked me and widened her eyes as if she was caught red-handed.

"Well," I said slowly. "Marriage will bring you guys closer than ever. I'm sure that being married will be twice as fun and fulfilling as not being married."

"Bullshit, Miley," she said and threw her glass behind her, shattering it into pieces. Shirley snapped her fingers and another glass appeared behind her in a couple of seconds. I watched her take the glass eagerly and she sighed contentedly as the liquid went down her throat.

"Excuse me?" I asked, feeling quite offended.

"I don't know. I feel so…so…attached, you know? I don't know if I can do it. Don't get me wrong, Jake is absolutely fantastic and he is one hell of a good kisser," she said dreamily and I closed my eyes in annoyance. I counted to ten silently in my head and restrained myself to bang her head on the bar table.

"Shit, my head hurts," she said. She clutched her head and closed her eyes as she swayed back and forth.

"Maybe you should stop drinking," I said and took her new glass out of her hands. Shirley clutched it tightly in her hand and slapped my hands away. She got up unsteadily and walked determinedly towards the left side of the bar. I gaped when I saw her start making out with some random guy.

"It's my Bachelorette party! The only person I'll be allowed to be making out with is Jake once we get married. So tell Jake and you die," she yelled drunkenly to everyone and continued to make-out with him. Everyone excluding me merely nodded and went back to whatever they were doing. Although it didn't matter whether or not she said anything because everyone else would be too drunk to remember. I glared at Shirley hatefully and made my way towards the exit.

What was Shirley thinking? Cheating on her soon-to-be husband the night before her wedding?

_Oh well. It's not like I care. I shouldn't have expected less from that slut_, I thought. There was a nagging feeling at the pit of my stomach that I should tell Jake, but at the same time, I didn't want to completely ruin things for them since so much effort was put into the wedding.

I banged my head against the steering wheel when I got in my car and cursed everything Shirley and Jake related. I screamed and cursed even more once I left the parking lot because it had began to rain.

_Maybe it's mocking me because everyone is literally raining on my parade_, I thought sarcastically.

Once I calmed down a bit, I couldn't help but contemplate everything that has happened in the past couple of minutes. I felt like crying until my tears made a damn river that Shirley can drown in. Her words rung in my head painfully like the vibrations of a Church bell. Her rudeness and lack of sensitivity sickens me, and I don't know if I'll even come tomorrow to see my nightmare come true.

When I got home, I changed out of my dress and wore my pajamas. I grabbed my hair and pulled it up into a ponytail at the top of my head, looking like a less-cute imitation of Pebbles Flintstone. I grabbed my carton of vanilla ice cream, but paused a moment to look at the happy faces of the cows. A lone tear dripped onto its mocking smile and I wanted to rip the carton to bits. Even stupid cartoons were making fun of my current state.

As more tears fell, I reluctantly walked over to the couch and popped in a random DVD. It just so happened to be My Best Friend's Wedding starring Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz. I frowned at the title, but I didn't get up to change the movie. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and wiped my black hand on my pants (due to the mascara and eyeliner). I sobbed and laughed softly, knowing that I looked like one of those girls I never thought I would be.

I ate the ice cream as if there was no tomorrow, wallowing in my own self-pity.

"Kimmy says if you love someone, just say it. You say it right then, out loud. Otherwise, the moment just…just…"

"Passes you by," Julia Roberts's character and I said breathlessly. I hiccupped loudly and blew my nose on my sleeve. I paused the movie and threw the remote on the other side of the couch.

"Why me? Why you, stupid Jake Ryan? Why? Why?" I asked loudly and threw my hands up in the air, knocking the empty ice cream carton onto the floor. I stared at it as it rolled and rolled until the table leg stopped it.

Maybe it was always meant to be this way, kind of like the movie. I would be the main character, who is hopelessly in love with her best friend, but then he meets someone new and they end up getting married.

It's kind of ironic how I make other people's happy endings come true, but I don't even have one for myself.

As this rate, it looks like I'm going to grow lonely and old and have a million cats. I would feed the birds a loaf of bread, while families frolic happily by the shady trees. The only men in my life would be Jackson, Oliver, and the newspaper boy, who I'd be giving cookies to every other day.

"Look at yourself, Miley Stewart," I said to myself.

"You're over-analyzing things. Jake Ryan isn't the only fish in the sea. In fact, there are thousands and billions more fish in the sea…" I looked at the frozen screen and stared at the actors. Julia Roberts's love for Dermot Mulroney was evident in her eyes, but at the same time, she looked desperate and sad.

I frowned at the screen, realizing that that's how I must look like.

Pushing back the stray hair from my eyes, I sat up straight and stared at the screen.

"I don't want to---no. I will not be like that. Tomorrow, I'm going to fully move on with my life. When they say I do, Jake Ryan will be nothing but a memory," I said determinedly. I was sick of waiting around for Jake and hanging on to everything that we had, hoping that we would start anew.

Keyword: had.

That was the past, this is the present, and I need to make room for the future.

_Ding! Dong!_

I jumped when I heard my doorbell ring and put a hand on my chest.

"Who would be wanting me this late at night?" I asked myself and got up slowly. I wiped the dry tears off of my face and turned to look at the mirror next to the door. I scrunched my nose at the black circles around my eyes from my make-up, the snot that dried up around my nose, and my extremely messy hair. Despite my disapproval, I didn't care how I looked.

Actually, I just don't care about most things anymore.

Without looking through the peephole, I opened the door and I was about to give the person was a piece of my mind.

"What the---oh," I said, looking at the person I least wanted to see.

"Hi, Miley. Is it a bad time?" I folded my arms angrily and glared into his green eyes.

"Now is a really, really, really bad time. Actually," I laughed and leaned against the doorframe.

"Everything that involves you equals a bad time. So leave now or else I'll scream," I said and made an attempt to close the door, but Jake put his foot down.

"Miley, you don't mean that," Jake said, almost desperately.

"Yes, I do. Why aren't you at your _Bachelor _party?" I asked with distaste.

"I'm not into those kinds of things. I just went for the first five minutes and then snuck out," he shrugged. I saw him shift something behind his back and my eyes flickered from him to the box.

"What's that?" I asked, suddenly curious to what was behind him. He breathed out a sigh of relief and held the box up.

"It's for you," he said quietly and held out the box. I looked into his eyes and saw that he was begging me to take it. I raised my eyebrow at him, but held out my hands nonetheless. He placed the box in my hands and I loss my balance for a while because it was kind of heavy.

"Is this it?" I asked rudely and he merely nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I guess," he said and I took a step back into my apartment.

"Whatever. Bye," I whispered and slammed the door at his crestfallen face.

I dropped the box unceremoniously onto the ground and headed towards the couch. I was about to resume my movie when I heard a faint sound coming from the box. I slowly got up, walked towards it, and stared at it. The box began to move and I widened my eyes, suddenly afraid of the box. Then the box made a loud thump and it practically jumped towards me. I let out a small scream and took a step back, grabbing the DVD box in case whatever it was decided to attack me.

After a while, whatever was in there finally stopped and emitted another sound. Slowly, the box began to unfold and out came something that I least expected.

A small black nose peeped out of the box and sniffed the air. It's black head came out and looked at its surroundings. When it laid its blue eyes on me, it let out a little bark and came out of the box. Slowly and dizzily, it walked towards me and I felt my heart break when I realized that I just dropped the poor thing on the floor. I crouched down and picked up the little thing and held it in front of me, gasping when I realized what it was.

It was the black Labrador I've been setting my eye on for the past couple of months. I held the little puppy against me and I rocked it back and forth, whispering that I was sorry that I just dropped him on the floor. I stroked its beautiful black fur and stopped when I felt the little leather collar around its neck.

I moved the leather collar around until I felt the little bone metal plate. I looked at it and smiled slightly when I saw the engraved name.

"Leslie," I whispered softly and rubbed the cool metal between my fingers. I felt something behind it and I curiously turned it around.

_I found a way to have a special place in your heart._

Tears formed in my eyes as I read the sentence over and over again.

I suddenly felt horrible for slamming the door on Jake's face and being extremely rude to him (even though he deserved it). I gently put Leslie on my couch and affectionately rubbed his ears. I grabbed a bowl of water and set it on the floor. He leapt from the couch and began drinking out of the bowl.

"Good boy, Les. I'll be right back," I said as he licked my hand.

I scratched his little head one last time before grabbing my car keys and running out the door. I gasped when the cold wet floor hit my feet, but it wasn't as loud as the thumping in my chest when I saw Jake slowly walking down the sidewalk with his head bent.

"Jake!" I yelled and he turned around abruptly. He neither smiled nor frowned when our eyes made contact, but I suddenly felt warmer despite the cold rain. I walked slowly and hesitantly towards him, not entirely sure what I was going to say. He stayed rooted in his spot and I shyly brushed my wet hair out of my eyes.

_This is your chance, Miley. Tell him! Tell him!_

The next thing I knew, we were about an arm's length apart. I looked into his intense green eyes and I immediately got lost in them. We stared at each other for a while in the tension-filled silence. Every time I tried to speak, my tongue would dry out and my throat would close up. After a while, I realized that I must have looked horrible in front of him. I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to get rid of the streaming black make-up, but he gently grabbed my hand and butterflies erupted in my stomach.

"You don't have to," he said breathlessly and the butterflies in my stomach intensified.

"No," I said, surprising both him and myself. I took his hand off of mine and glared at him.

"Please Jake. After this, _please_ stay out of my life," I said, almost begging him.

"Why? Why can't I be a part of your life again?" he asked angrily, and I felt my own anger rising.

"You simply cannot be a part of my life," I said firmly and shook my head at him.

"Why not, Miley? Why not? Is it because I'm getting married?"

"Bullshit, that's why," I spat at him and began to walk away from him. I took about two steps before he harshly grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. I gulped silently when I looked from his eyes to his lips, which were merely centimeters apart. Our bodies were against each other perfectly and the heat between our bodies did not calm down my heavy breathing.

"Why not?" he repeated angrily.

"You want to know why?" I asked loudly and his grip on my hand tightened.

"Because you'll leave again, that's why," I said a little above a whisper. His eyes softened considerably and his grip on my hand loosened, but he didn't let go.

"What do you mean?" he asked and I looked towards the ground. I didn't have to think about what I was going to say next because my heart was doing all the talking.

"After we first kissed, you left. You came back after four months, thinking that I would come back happily into your arms, but I did not. After a while, we tried going out, but that failed. Then shortly afterwards, you left _again_. You came back, and then you left once more. You came back, and then you left. You came back, and then you left. The cycle went on and on and on. After we graduated from high school, I thought that this was all part of the cycle. I waited for a long time for you to come back, Jake. Now, you're here standing in front of me and you're expecting me to take you back with open arms. I'm sorry, but the cycle has ended and I need to move on with my life."

I couldn't see his eyes because my own were tearing up from all of the hurt that I have gone through these past couple of years. I slowly pulled away from Jake and squeezed his hand one last time. Without turning back, I started to walk back to my house with my head held high, but with a heavy weight on my shoulders.

"Miley!" Jake yelled, but I kept on walking. I heard his running steps make small splashes on the ground, as he got closer to me.

"Miley," he panted and placed a hand on my shoulder, turning me around. I silently stared at him while he took several deep breaths.

"Do you know why I didn't tell Shirley that my name was Leslie?" My eyes widened slightly in surprise at the random question. I merely stared at him some more, beckoning him to continue.

"I have never felt that way about anyone before. I don't think I ever will," he said hotly as he stared into my eyes. I opened my mouth to ask him what he was talking about, but he pulled me towards him and captured my lips eagerly.

I stood there for a few seconds, completely in-shock. It wasn't until I regained my senses when I slowly started to kiss him back. Electricity buzzed through my skin and I felt my knees go weak with every soft kiss. He wrapped one arm around my waist and one hand at the base of my neck and pulled me closer to him. I tangled my hands in his soft wet hair and pulled him even closer to me.

His lips left mine and slowly made their way down my neck. I emitted a soft moan as he nipped my skin and played with the hair at the base of my neck. He bit my earlobe softly, teasing it with his tongue and I giggled. Wanting to feel his lips on mine once more, I grabbed his chin and kissed him harder.

We stood there in the rain, kissing and groping each other passionately. Each kiss intensified as we let out the innumerable feelings that we both pushed away: regret, sorrow, anger, hurt, hope, confusion, guilt, hate, love…

_This is wrong_, my mind screamed.

I ran my hands up and down his arms while he bit my bottom lip.

_You need to stop_, my mind screamed once more.

His hand slowly went up my shirt and his gentle touches made my body feel as if it was on fire.

_Don't be like Shirley. You're acting like Shirley!_

That's when I grabbed his hand and pulled away from him. I looked towards the side of the street for a while, ignoring the tingling sensation I felt on my lips. I paused for a while and took several deep breaths.

"You should go," I said softly and let go of his hand. Taking one last look into his eyes, I turned around and walked determinedly towards my house.

"Miley---"

"GO!" I turned around and yelled at him.

"You've done so many times before, what's stopping you now?" I shouted at him. He stood there motionlessly and just stared at me. With a frustrated sigh, I marched back into my house and did not look back. Because I knew that if I looked back, who knows what else I could have done to worsen my damaged heart.

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Author's Note: A lot of you are getting sick of Shirley, but that's how her character is. Truthfully (and randomly), I don't like original characters as main characters, but I didn't want to use an HM character (like Amber or Ashley) because I'd have to make them OOC in order for this to work.

Anyways, hopefully that this satisfied most of you. I'm not fully happy with it because some parts seemed rushed when I re-read it, but it sounded too wordy when I made it seem less-rushed (and Word has been making stupid grammatical errors). In other words, this chapter and I had a love/hate relationship haha. Kind of like Miley with Jake at the moment hehe

Only three more chapters left : (  
But they will be filled with some good stuff, I promise : )


	16. Here Comes Bridezilla

**Author's Note: The wedding chapter! One more chapter and then it's over : (**

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**Chapter 16**

"Breathe, Miley! Breathe! In and out… In and out…" Miranda said to calm me down. I closed my eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled while Lilly rubbed my back soothingly.

"Is this what usually happens on wedding days?" Lilly whispered to Miranda behind my back.

"All the time. She's always more nervous than the bride," Miranda joked and I glared at her.

"Shut up!" I yelled. I groaned and put my hands in my head, thinking about all of the possible things that could go wrong. It didn't help that the dilemmas started the night before. I unconsciously licked my lips and a shiver ran down my spine. I desperately tried to shove the memories of last night to the back of my mind.

"Miranda, I want you to make sure that the guests know where they are supposed to be seated. And please, _please_ do not flirt with the groomsmen," I pleaded and gave her a little push towards the guests. She looked at me innocently and I let out a small laugh.

I watched Miranda put on a wide smile and walk towards the guests. I let out a small laugh when the first person she walked up to was a tall handsome young man. She glanced at me for a second and gave me a small wink before scampering towards the other handsome guests. I heard Lilly laugh next to me and I merely smiled at her.

"Wow, Lilly. You look absolutely beautiful." Lilly and I turned around to see Oliver standing a few feet away. His mouth was hanging open and his wide eyes swept over Lilly's figure. I looked at Lilly and couldn't help but agree with Oliver that my best friend looked prettier than usual today. In fact, there was something about her that made her look as if she was glowing with happiness. Her straight blonde hair was in delicate waves and her make-up was light, but her smile was her best feature. Her light blue dress dragged across the floor elegantly as she walked towards her husband. She closed her husband's mouth and kissed him on the cheek happily.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself," she said and bit her tongue playfully at him. Oliver merely smiled at her and pulled her close to him. He kissed her on the lips sweetly and I watched them sadly. When they pulled away, goofy grins were plastered on their faces. When they hugged each other, it seemed as if they were the only ones left in the world. I turned away and tears slowly formed in my eyes.

I wasn't jealous of them.

I was jealous of what they had.

"Miley?" I turned around and saw that Lilly and Oliver were looking at me concernedly.

"Yeah?" I asked with false cheerfulness.

"We've been calling your name for the past five minutes. Is anything wrong?" Oliver asked and rubbed my arm soothingly.

"No, nothing's wrong," I said and raised my eyebrow at them.

"Why would you think that anything's wrong?" The look that Lilly and Oliver shared did not go unnoticed.

"Well, this _is_ Jake's wedding," Lilly said slowly. My breath got hitched in my throat, but my cool expression did not falter.

"I know this is Jake's wedding. If it wasn't Jake's wedding, then I'd be worried," I said and forced myself to laugh. Lilly and Oliver gave each other another look, but didn't say anything until I calmed down.

"Seriously, Miley. Is anything wrong?" Oliver asked again. I looked away guiltily, knowing that I couldn't lie to them.

"I… I… I totally forgot to check up on Shirley!" I suddenly exclaimed and ran towards the dressing rooms. I bumped into a few waiters and guests, but I managed to get to Shirley's door without any major damage.

"Shirley, I---"

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Shirley yelled at me and I took a step back. She threw her phone and her purse on the couch and looked at me with wide eyes. Suddenly, she collapsed on the floor and began bawling, and I blinked at her sudden change of mood. I rushed towards the tissue box and knelt down next to her.

"I can't believe I'm getting married today," Shirley cried and blew her nose on the tissue. I awkwardly patted her back and told her that everything was going to be fine.

"What if I mess up in front of everyone? Am I making the right choice? Am I seriously going through this?" Shirley cried and I did my best to comfort her. I helped her get up and walked her towards the couch. I put her phone and purse on the table and placed the tissue box on her lap. I walked towards the mini-fridge was grabbed a bottle of water. I was already used to dealing with this behavior, so it didn't take long before she calmed down.

"Thanks, Miley," she sniffed. "I don't know if I would have been able to do this without your help. I can't believe that I'm getting married to Jake Ryan."

"I can't believe it either," I mumbled.

"What?" she hiccupped and dabbed her eyes.

"I said, I can't believe it either," I said enthusiastically.

"Miley," Shirley said after a long pause. "You've gone through more weddings and dealt with people like me before, right? Well, do you have any last-minute advice for me? I want this to be…perfect."

"Well," I said slowly. "All I can say is to just have fun. Today is the most magical day of your life and you and Jake will remember this day for the rest of your lives."

Shirley gave me a watery smile and took my hands.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. I smiled at her and pulled my hands away from her wet ones. I grabbed my purse and dug through it. I pulled out a small box and gave it to her. She took it unsurely and looked at me quizzically.

"Don't worry. It's just chocolate," I laughed and she looked relieved.

"You look extremely cute, by the way," Shirley said and fingered the hem of my white dress. I looked at my dress and smiled softly to myself. I was wearing a simple white dress with thin straps, one of Hannah's designer heels, and simple jewelry.

"Thanks," I said and blushed. "You look great too."

"If I didn't look great, then I would have to murder someone," she laughed softly and I restrained myself from rolling my eyes. Suddenly, the alarm on my phone went off and I looked at the time.

"One hour until the wedding!" I whispered nervously. Shirley looked at me with wide eyes and started hyperventilating.

"Oh shit! My make-up---it's ruined! I have to do it right now before the wedding starts. Get out! Get out!" Shirley yelled and shooed me away. I barely had enough time to react when she grabbed my arms and pushed me out the door. I turned around to yell at her, but she slammed the door in my face.

"That…that… UGH!" I yelled and looked for something to strangle.

"Maybe she's just nervous?" I jumped and looked at Lilly.

"When did you get here?" I asked and she rolled her eyes at me.

"When you left, we followed you. We knew that whenever you had to deal with Shirley,_surely_ something bad would happen," Oliver teased me and I burst out in laughter. We started walking towards the Church and I glanced at my surroundings carefully, making sure that everything was in place.

"Wow. That was probably your worst joke yet," I joked and Lilly nodded her head in agreement.

"But you laughed. That should count for something, right?"

"That was a pity laugh, you donut," I said in a baby voice and pinched his cheek. He rubbed his cheek sourly and glared at me.

"That's why I married you. You don't treat me like a baby," Oliver said and placed his arm around his wife's waist.

"Whatever you say, you big baby." Lilly winked at him and he pouted. I stiffened and I instantly thought of Jake at the parking lot. I coughed loudly and I felt my face grow hot. Thankfully my two best friends were too busy flirting with each other that they didn't notice my weird behavior.

"Okay, everyone!" I heard Miranda whisper loudly to the bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, and ring boy. "The wedding starts in twenty minutes so please be quiet while I talk to the choir."

"Twenty minutes?" I squeaked loudly and panicked. I reached for my bag and I suddenly realized that I left it in Shirley's dressing room.

"Shit! I have to make sure that everything's okay. Shit. Shit. Shit. Oliver!" I barked at him and he slightly jumped.

"Can you get my purse in Shirley's dressing room? I have to make sure that everything's in order. While you're there, can you remind Shirley that she has to be out here in ten minutes?" I said quickly.

"Why can't Lilly do it? She's a chick, Shirley's a chick, why can't a chick do it?" he whined. I looked at him dangerously and he cowered back slightly.

"Lilly has to make sure that everyone is seated, right Lilly?" I said sweetly and turned towards Lilly. Lilly gulped and rushed towards the guests who were standing at the back. I looked back at Oliver, but he was already rushing towards Shirley's dressing room. With a satisfied smirk, I rushed towards the Church choir. When I saw Miranda, I ran to her and grabbed her bag and searched for her phone. She simply rolled her eyes and continued talking to the choir director. She was already used to me acting this way minutes before weddings starts, so she didn't complain. I called the resort and asked to put Tony on the phone.

"Okay, sweetie. Remember to walk slowly and to smile for everyone," I said sweetly to the nervous flower girl. When the music began to play and the choir started to sing, she looked at me with wide eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile and nodded my head towards the aisle. She took a deep breath and tentatively started walking down the red carpet. The guests sighed and smiled at the beautiful little girl, who was waving at her parents in the aisle seat.

When she reached the end of the aisle, my gaze landed on Jake Ryan. He looked so handsome in his black tuxedo and light pink tie. His hair was neatly combed and his face looked better than ever. He was smiling at his mother, who was sitting in the front row dabbing her eyes. My heart jumped when his eyes came in contact with mine. He smiled softly at me and I smiled back half-heartedly. I felt as if my heart was a lemon and someone was squeezing it until all of the juice was out. I felt my eyes watering up, and I was about to do something regrettable until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw Oliver standing right behind me with an unreadable expression on his face. He was holding out my purse and I smiled at him gratefully.

"Thanks, Ollie," I said and gave him a one-armed hug. I discreetly blinked back my oncoming tears and continued monitoring the people walking down the aisle.

"How was Shirley? She was scary when I left her. I swear that girl is scarier than Uncle Earl driving his tractor down the hill during wintertime," I whispered. Oliver chuckled slightly, but then his serious expression was back in a second.

"Listen, Miley," he sighed and I quickly glanced at him before nodding at the next bridesmaid to move forward.

"Shirley, she's…she's…Jake doesn't deserve her," he said. I raised my eyebrow and him and giggled softly in response.

"Oliver, _everyone_ knows that Jake doesn't deserve her. I don't think that anyone deserves that crazy woman," I laughed.

"Miley, I'm serious," he said gravely and I ceased my laughter.

"Seriously, Oliver. What are you trying to say? If you can't tell, I'm a little busy here," I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Shirley is---"

"Shhh!" I hushed and put my finger to Oliver's lips. He could feel him glaring at me, but I didn't care. The music was getting louder and the traditional bridal song was being played. Everyone leaned towards the aisle eagerly and I saw the best man nudge Jake's shoulder. I looked at Miranda, who was seated at the back row, and she threw me two thumbs up. I smiled at her and then turned around and focused my gaze on the bride.

She walked down the aisle with her father on her left arm and a Miss America-worthy smile. Her elegant white dress was adorned with pearls and an exquisite lace pattern. Her lace veil partially hid her heavily made-up face. I turned away from her when Oliver tugged on my arm. He motioned towards the empty seats next to Lilly and we walked over there. When she approached Jake, she kissed him on the cheek and giggled when her lipstick left a mark on his cheek.

That's when I snapped.

"Lilly, I don't think I can do this," I whispered to her desperately. She nodded at me in understanding and I kissed her cheek. I turned and kissed Oliver's cheek as well before excusing myself.

Tears were threatening to fall as I was squeezing myself towards the side aisle. I knew that I wouldn't be able to see the love of my life and the horrible woman in his life get married in front of my eyes. It was hard enough to see Jake after so many lost years. It was hard enough to coordinate this special occasion and deal with the most awful woman I've ever encountered. Did God expect me to celebrate the best day of their lives, which just so happened to be worst day of my life too?

"Now before we start, if anyone objects in joining this beloved couple in the celebration of Holy Matrimony, speak now, or forever hold your peace," the priest said and looked around the room.

The room was silent aside from the small tapping of my heels. I was just about to leave the Church when I halted in my steps.

"I object!"

Everyone gasped and looked towards the back of the Church.

"Oliver?" Lilly gasped and put her hand on her chest.

* * *

**Author's Note: Haha the last part is supposed to be funny, if you understand. No offense to anyone, of course. Also, I'm not sure if the whole "speak now, or forever hold your peace" thing is completely accurate. At least I tried : )**

**It looks like I didn't get to the mid-February goal, but I assure you that I'll have this done soon. Thanks to all of the reviewers that take the two minutes out of their lives to write me a thoughtful review :)**


	17. My Own Unwanted Romantic Comedy

**Author's Note: Wow. I really messed up, didn't I? I know that there isn't an apology big enough for anyone to forgive even a tenth of how long people had to wait for this to be updated...but at least I updated, right? Last time was February 12th? It's been over six months, it's currently 3 am, and I'm posting up this chapter. I didn't want to wait until (proper) morning to write out this chapter, for fear that I'd become uninspired and put this off for another couple of weeks. If it helps, I've received a lot of disappointing and threatening messages telling me to update this and that made me feel horrible.**

**If you forgot what happened last chapter (and I don't blame you), here's a quick summary of what happened: It's the day of the wedding and Miley is stressing out. She checks up on Shirley, who was oddly sweet to her for once, but then she rudely shoos her out of her room. Miley goes back to work and realizes that she left her purse in Shirley's dressing room, but she's too busy trying to get things in order that she asks Oliver to get it for her. Oliver comes back acting weirdly. The wedding starts and Miley tells Lilly that she didn't think that she could watch Jake marry Shirley. Someone objects to their marriage, and to everyone surprise, it was Oliver who spoke.**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Oliver's shocked face mirrored everyone else's as if he was surprised by his own actions. I was torn between bursting out in laughter or looking surprised, so I remained silent. I snorted when I saw the look on Lilly's face, which was an interesting combination of shock, anger, and confusion.

"It seems as if we have an objection," the priest said, looking forth between Oliver, Lilly, Jake, and Shirley.

"Oliver Oken, what is the meaning of this? Sit down!" Lilly whispered dangerously to him, but she did not receive a response. I knew that she was trying to keep her cool, but I could see the imaginary smoke coming out of her ears and the fire in her eyes. Oliver looked uneasily between Lilly and Shirley, and Lilly caught his gaze.

"_Why_ are you looking at Shirley? Have you been seeing Shirley behind my back?" Lilly asked angrily.

"No," Oliver said shakily, looking back and forth between Lilly and the couple.

"I have not been seeing her behind my back. In fact, I want _nothing_ to do with her," he said loudly as if he ate something that left a foul taste in his mouth. Everyone erupted in excited whispers and the priest looked uneasily between Oliver and Jake.

"Then _what are you doing_? Sit down!" Lilly said, tugging on his hand.

"No. I think that it's time for everyone to know the truth," he said determinedly. Everyone stopped whispering and we all looked at Oliver curiously. He seemed to notice that everyone's eyes were on him, so he was speechless for a while and smiled awkwardly. I couldn't help but smile a little because Oliver was never the type to talk in front of large crowds.

"Hi, uh, everyone," he said lamely. Lilly squeezed his hand and he gave her a small smile. The simple gesture seemed to have given him some confidence because he straightened his back and raised his head a little.

"Jake, Shirley doesn't love you," he said confidently. Shirley gaped stupidly at him while Jake merely raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, motioning for him to continue. I assumed that Oliver didn't expect this because his strong demeanor faltered a little.

"Jake, everyone," Oliver sighed and ran his free hand through his hair.

"When I first met Shirley, I thought that she was a nice, sweet girl. I thought that after M-- everything that happened, he finally found someone that he can…settle down with. I'm not a stalker or anything, but I wanted to make sure that Shirley really was an… adequate choice for Jake because he is one of my very good friends. As I got to know her and studied her, my opinions about her changed."

"Not a stalker my ass," Shirley muttered. Since the Church had high ceilings and the whole room was quiet, everyone seemed to hear her. She faintly blushed, but refused to stop glaring at my friend. I nervously wrung my hands together and bit my lip. What's Oliver's point? Is he _trying_ to put an end into everything I worked for just because he didn't like Shirley? I dislike Shirley more than he does, but you don't see me trying to ruin someone else's happily ever after. I sighed.

When is the director going to pop out and yell "Cut"?

In the movies, the desperate girl is in love with the groom, but on the day of his wedding, she's supposed to stop him from marrying the evil bride. The desperate girl barges in the middle of the objection thing and she professes her undying love for the groom and says that the evil bride isn't the one he truly loves. He professes undying love back to her, saying how she was always the one, and they both run off, leaving the audience in tears, and get married. The evil ex-bride ends up drunk at some bar or hooking up with the groom's brother or something similar that is the opposite of her ideal happily ever after.

Fortunately, the main girl isn't going to profess her undying love (I finally realized that I will love him no matter what happens--friend or non-friend) for the groom because she does not want to embarrass herself and contribute to the cheesy romantic comedy scene.

"Miley, their wedding planner," Oliver said, stopping my random train of thought. I refused to look away from the back of Oliver's head, but I could see dozens of pairs of eyes looking at me, because that's what people do when other people's names are said out loud. I had a harder time trying to keep my gaze on him when I realized that a certain pair of green eyes was looking at me curiously.

_Honestly, Oliver_, I wanted to complain aloud. _What does this have to do with me? Why are you adding me into this equation of embarrassing nonsense?_

"Was too busy trying to get everything in order so that this wedding would be perfect. So she asked me to get her purse in Shirley's dressing room because she left her phone in there. I'm a dude--man, so I couldn't just barge into a lady's room." I heard Lilly cough loudly beside him.

"So I went towards her dressing room and saw that it was slightly open, so I figured that no one was in there. I opened the door and there really wasn't anyone in the room. I quickly saw Miley's purse and I grabbed it. I heard something coming from the bathroom and it sounded like a grunt, so I thought that someone was hurt. The moment I reached for the bathroom handle, I heard laughing. No, giggling, more like it. I figured that it was Shirley and that she was probably just excited that today was her wedding day. I started to leave, when I heard her say 'I know, today's my wedding day, but you know that you will always be the one for me… Of course, it'll still be our little secret, it always has been and it will always be… It's been over two years and just because I'm getting married, do you think that I'm going to let you go? Listen. Once I get what I need and access to his bank account, I'll transfer it over into mine. I'll do it as soon as possible, that way he won't get too hurt when I file for a divorce. They are quite popular these days, aren't they? I'm sure that my _manager_ will be able to get me one easily… Of course, if you do, I'll give you a little reward.' After hearing that, I quietly ran out the room as fast as I could because I thought that I was going to throw up… That is disgusting!" Oliver added. He gave her a dirty look and visibly shuddered.

"Jake," he said, more seriously this time. "She's cheating on you. She's been cheating on you this whole time. She's only after what you are and what you have. She doesn't love you."

Everyone seemed to hold their breath after Oliver's statement. I broke out in a cold sweat and my hands felt cold and clammy for some strange reason. Jake was still staring at Oliver, but I could tell that his mind was somewhere else. I looked at Shirley and saw that her face was as red as Aunt Pearl's face when she did her make-up when she was drunk. Her mouth stupidly opened and closed like a fish, seeming at a loss for words.

"How dare you! How dare you accuse me of such…such…nonsense!" Shirley shrieked in strained whispers.

"How dare you say all these…these…lies! Hell, on my wedding day too! This is supposed to be the happiest day of my life and you are ruining it with your childish stories. Why should I believe you? Why should everyone else believe you? Why are you trying to ruin me?" If life were a cartoon, there would have been steam coming out of Shirley's ears. I was honestly scared for Oliver if he turned out to be wrong, but his story did make sense…kind of.

There's no problem in having a close relationship with your manager, but I noticed that Shirley seemed overly excited every time her cellphone rings. I wasn't eavesdropping o anything, it's just that Shirley's voice can be really loud when she's on the phone. Sometimes I would catch her giggling over the phone. Sometimes her voice sounded suggestive and flirtatious, but I just thought that she was talking to Jake on the phone (even though I do recall one time Jake was standing right in front of me when she whispered something along the lines of "your," "mine," and "room"). Jake also said that she flew to New York for a couple of days to sign some papers for a modeling gig. Thinking back on it, I don't think that it takes a few days to sign some papers. I bet that she got more out of the paper signing than just modeling…

"Oh. I know. You're just jealous because your wedding wasn't as great, as extravagant, or as expensive as mine," Shirley said and smirked triumphantly.

_Honestly, can anyone else be more self-centered? And I thought that Jake had a big ego…_

Judging from her flustered face, her pointing fingers, and her struggle for words, it seems as if she's trying too hard to seem as if she isn't the bad guy.

No one said anything for a while. Everyone was just staring at each other, which made the atmosphere turn from peaceful to surprise to awkward. Half the people were looking at Oliver, wondering if he was telling the truth or if he was mad. The other half was looking at Shirley, wondering if she was telling the truth or if she really was cheating on Jake. A couple of people looked at me, probably wondering what would've happened if I hadn't asked Oliver to get my purse for me.

"Is it true?" Jake asked quietly, although he stilled seemed lost in his own thoughts.

"Would I lie to you?" Oliver replied back to him, even though his gaze was on Shirley. Shirley snorted and crossed her arms. She grabbed Jake's shoulder and forced him to look at her. He seemed a little irritated when she did this, but I don't think that she noticed.

"Come on, Jake. He's lying. Why would I ever do that to you? Jake, I love you. Who do you believe, me or _him_?" She crossed her arms and pressed her head forward to choose the obvious decision. Jake looked at his feet and put his hands in his pockets.

"I don't know," he said quietly.

"Are you kidding me?" Shirley shrieked. "_You don't know?_"

'You don't love her, Jake," Oliver said. Jake looked up at him, but Shirley grabbed his face and made her look into her eyes.

"Baby, don't listen to what he says. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's probably drunk or something. Please, let's pretend as if none of this happened and move on with the wedding. Please…" Shirley desperately pleaded.

"She's been in front of you this whole time, but you are too blind to see it. She's been there for you from the start and you know that she will always be with you until the end. She may not say it, or even admit to it, but I know that deep down, she still has hope. Maybe that one day, you would need her just as much as she needed you, no matter what kind of relationship you two have. Marrying _her _would be the biggest mistake of your life, and you know it. I would say that the first was losing her, but you never did."

I slipped out of the Church as quietly as I can. I didn't know exactly where I was going because of the unstoppable tears in my eyes. I ran as fast as I could to get away from the place. I ignored the ringing in my ears, the screaming pain from my lungs and my body, and the fact that I must have ruined my appearance. It didn't compare to how I felt a few seconds ago.

I exactly wasn't sure why I was running away.

It was either because of the pain or embarrassment of the whole situation.

Pain: because Oliver was right.

Embarrassment: because Oliver was right. I still did have some hope left that he would need me through some twisted way of fate (excluding being his wedding planner). There were many nights that I spent wondering about him, thinking of what would've happened if we were still together, missing how we would always have intellectual talks and share political views, and basically just thinking about him. I always thought that it was what most girls go through after breaking up with the person you've connected with on so many levels. I thought that it was an essential process that girls needed to go through in order to get over their guy and move on.

Oh, boy, was I wrong.

I thought I stopped loving him, but I never did. I don't think I will, and that's what scared me the most.

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**Author's Note: In the previous chapter, it said that this was the last chapter. Hopefully by this ending, you can tell that it's not! For real this time, there is only one chapter left. There won't be an epilogue though. I can pretty much guarantee you that it won't take me six months to update the last chapter...more like five.**

**Haha just kidding! : )**

**I probably lost some readers due to my poor lack of updating, but still review anyways!**

**P.S. Please look at my profile page! Because I originally typed out something that turned out to be longer than this whole chapter haha**


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